Home Speaker Mike Johnson faces a difficult battle to retain the gavel on Friday because the Republican chief kicks off the brand new Congress with a razor-thin majority.
Holding solely a four-vote edge within the chamber, Johnson doubtless can’t afford to lose the backing of a couple of fellow GOP lawmaker as he seeks a full two-year time period as chief of the fractious caucus.
The vote will probably be removed from a lay up for the affable Louisiana conservative, even with the endorsement of President-elect Trump, the celebration’s undisputed chief.
Rep. Tom Massie (R-Kentucky) has already declared that he is not going to vote for Johnson, leaving the speaker with no obvious additional wiggle room.
A handful of fellow hardliners have instructed they could be a part of Massie’s revolt at the very least till they will squeeze Johnson to make concessions on a few of their pet points as they’ve efficiently performed previously.
An extra wild card could possibly be Indiana Rep. Victoria Spartz, a fiscal conservative who has stated she is going to now not caucus with Republicans and hasn’t agreed to again Johnson.
Republicans are in a decent spot as a result of they carried out unexpectedly poorly in Home races throughout the latest election, underperforming Trump’s common vote and electoral school wins.
They gained 220 seats in comparison with 215 for Democrats. However ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) resigned his seat in November in a failed bid to change into Trump’s legal professional common and has stated he is not going to return for the approaching Congress.
Assuming Gaetz retains his phrase and Massie votes towards Johnson, that would depart the speaker needing the votes of the remaining 217 different Republicans, plus Spartz, to win the gavel if Democrats as anticipated all present up and vote towards him.
If he loses a second GOP vote, Johnson might not have the votes wanted to safe a majority, which might ship the election to a second poll. It may proceed till both Johnson or another candidate wins.
Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries has stated Democrats is not going to assist Johnson, but it surely’s potential a number of maverick Democrats would possibly cross celebration strains.
Johnson’s ace within the gap could possibly be Trump’s assist, particularly as a result of the Home must elect a speaker by Monday, Jan. 6 to hold out the certification of the presidential election. Trump is bound to need that course of to go off with no hitch, significantly after the violent assault on the Capitol by his supporters 4 years in the past.
Johnson, 52, grabbed the speakership in a shock in October 2023 after Republicans struggled to exchange Kevin McCarthy following his unprecedented removing. A number of contenders tried and failed earlier than Republicans settled on Johnson, who’s nicely favored throughout the convention and has a superb working relationship with Jeffries.
However Johnson’s dealing with of main funding fights, together with passage of assist to Ukraine final spring and, most just lately, a short-term spending invoice, has turned at the very least just a few allies into critics.
He repeatedly has needed to flip to Jeffries to offer Democratic assist to go essential spending payments, together with a last-minute stopgap spending invoice to avert a vacation shutdown earlier than Christmas.
The Home can’t manage till it has a speaker as a result of that particular person successfully serves because the Home’s presiding officer and the establishment’s administrative head. The Home can elect a brand new speaker at any time if the particular person occupying that position dies, resigns or is faraway from workplace.
A speaker is often elected at first of a brand new Congress and serves within the job for the total two-year session.
Republicans selected Johnson as their nominee for speaker in a closed-door vote in November. Every week later, Democrats unanimously selected the favored Jeffries, a Brooklyn lawmaker, to stay their chief for a second stint.
The Brooklyn lawmaker can be in line to change into the primary Black speaker if Democrats retake management of the Home.
To change into speaker, a candidate wants a majority of the votes from Home members who’re current and voting.
Traditionally, the magical quantity has been 218 out of the 435 members of the Home.
However earlier audio system, together with McCarthy, have gained with fewer votes as a result of members typically vote “present” as an alternative of calling out a reputation. Each lawmaker voting “present” lowers the general tally wanted to succeed in a majority.
