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US President-elect Donald Trump shakes hands with US House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) as he meets with House Republicans on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, on November 13, 2024.
Brian Snyder | Reuters
The House of Representatives on Friday began voting on its next speaker after outgoing Speaker Mike Johnson was nominated by Republicans and Democratic nominee Rep. Hakeem Jeffries.
First Friday, president-elect Donald Trump again called a partner Republicans to select Johnson as speaker.
Trump’s support on social media has come as Johnson – whose current mandate is speaking expired at 11 a.m. ET — making for a potentially very close vote in the House, where the GOP holds an ultra-slim majority.
With all 434 House members up for a vote, Johnson needs almost all Republicans to vote for him to become speaker.
“Good luck today to Speaker Mike Johnson, a fine man of great ability, who is very close to having 100% support,” Trump wrote in a Social Truth post.
“A victory for Mike today will be a great victory for the Republican Party, and yet another recognition of our 129th most consequential Presidential Election!!” Trump wrote. “A GREAT STATEMENT, TRULY. MAGA!”
Johnson, who represents a district in Louisiana, needs a majority of House members to become speaker for the 119th Congress.
Republicans have 219 seats in the new Congress. The Democrats have 215 seats.
This close division means that if every member of the House is present and every Democrat votes for New Yorker Jeffries, Johnson needs a minimum of 218 Republican votes to be elected speaker.
If two or more Republicans decide to vote for someone else, Johnson’s overall support will drop below 218, and he would not be elected speaker in that vote.
Representative Republican Thomas Massie, of Kentucky, has already said he does not plan to support Johnson.
Johnson was first elected speaker on October 25, 2023, three weeks after Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-California, was ousted from that slot when a handful of Republican members joined every Democrat in voting for his removal.
Johnson was the fourth candidate considered to replace McCarthy.
McCarthy was only speaker himself for nine months when he was removed – he was elected first speaker in January 2023 after four days of voting and 15 votes.
This is the development of a news. Check back for updates.
