House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, managed to keep his position after a close vote on Friday. With the Republican Party controlling the House, Senate, and the White House, there was a strong push to support the incoming President, Donald Trump, later this month.
During the voting process, a few clashes occurred, with Representative Thomas Massie from Kentucky being the only Republican to vote against Johnson. Initially, Johnson faced challenges when five Republican members chose not to cast their votes. Three others—Massie, Ralph Norman from South Carolina, and Keith Self from Texas—also opposed him. Massie backed House Whip Tom Emmer, while Norman and Self supported other candidates.
In the end, those who initially refrained from voting ended up backing Johnson, including Representatives Andy Harris, Andy Biggs, Andrew Clyde, Michael Cloud, and Chip Roy.
Former President Trump was actively involved, reaching out to both Norman and Self to persuade them to switch their votes in favor of Johnson. After some discussions, Self indicated that he changed his vote to support the Trump agenda and to strengthen the negotiating position for upcoming legislation in the House.
Norman, on the other hand, spoke with Trump and stated that he changed his vote due to the commitments he received from Johnson regarding potential changes in leadership direction. Both lawmakers recognized that aligning with Johnson would help advance the priorities of the Republican agenda moving forward.
