The new year brings a new Congress as lawmakers in Washington, D.C. will be sworn in on Friday, charged to run the government as part of the 119th Congress.
The members of the House of Representatives have a single task to complete before anything can be done. They have to elect a Speaker of the House, The Associated Press reported.
Current Speaker Mike Johnson (R - La.) has been trying to convince those who would vote against them or those who haven’t made their decision to keep him in the position he has held since Oct. 25, 2023, after the ouster of former Speaker Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who himself had 15 voting rounds to secure his spot.
Johnson wins after votes changed
Update 2:32 p.m. ET Jan. 3: Johnson will remain as House Speaker after two votes were changed from other lawmakers to Johnson’s column. About 50 minutes after the last official vote was cast, Johnson’s win came with 218 votes to Rep. Hakeem Jeffries 215. One vote remained for a third candidate. Rep. Thomas Massie was the lone lawmaker not to change his vote from Rep. Tom Emmer.
Rep. Ralph Norman had previously voted for Rep Jim Jordan while Rep. Keith Self had voted for Rep Byron Donalds previously before changing their vote to Johnson.
Because the first ballot was never gaveled closed, Johnson was able to fulfill his promise that he would win on the first round of voting.
Now that Johnson has officially been voted to be House Speaker for the 119th Congress, he will be escorted to the speaker’s chair. Jeffries will hand the gavel to Johnson in a symbolic peaceful transfer of power.
Second roll call vote to start soon: CNN
Update 1:54 p.m. ET Jan. 3: Members of the House were told to return to the chambers for a second roll call vote, CNN reported. The first ballot has not been gaveled closed.
Neither appears to have enough votes to win
Update 1:40 p.m. ET Jan. 3: With Rep. Mike Johnson receiving 216 votes and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries receiving 215 votes, neither appears to have enough to win the House Speaker position on the first vote. Three votes went to other members of the House.
The vote has not been closed yet.
Some Republicans abstain
Update 1:20 p.m. ET Jan. 3: Several House Republicans have abstained from voting. They were in the chambers, standing in the back row when their names were called.
If they don’t vote, it will lower the threshold needed to win since the vote is a majority of members present. If all members are present and cast a vote, 218 votes are needed to win. If lawmakers don’t vote or vote “present,” the number needed to win will be lower.
Those who abstained will be able to cast their vote when the first roll call is complete.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R - Ky.) voted against Johnson, casting his support for Rep. Tom Emmer, the AP reported.
Rep. Jim Jordan also received a vote from Rep. Ralph Norman, while Rep. Keith Self voted for Rep Byron Donalds, The Washington Post reported.
Jeffries, Johnson vote
Update 1:15 p.m. ET Jan. 3: Rep Hakeem Jeffries and Johnson both cast their votes about 20 minutes from the start of the roll call. As expected they voted for themselves.
Voting begins
Update 12:55 p.m. ET Jan. 3: Voting has begun with the calling of the role.
Jeffries nominated for House Speaker
Update 12:46 p.m. ET Jan. 3: Democratic Caucus Chairman Rep. Pete Aguilar (D.- Ca.) has nominated Rep. Hakeem Jeffries for House Speaker.
“There is only one leader in this chamber who understands the needs of the working people and has lived the American dream himself,” Aguilar said in his nomination speech, according to the AP.
Johnson nominated for House Speaker
Update 12:40 p.m. ET Jan. 3: House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) has nominated Johnson for House Speaker.
She said that not everyone will get what they want with the vote and who is in charge of the House.
Over 14 months ago, Mike Johnson took on a daunting task. No speaker is perfect and no one will ever be. However, achieving perfection requires incremental gains and hard decisions along the way,” McClain said, according to CNN.
Original report: Johnson told reporters that he will win during the first round of voting, CNN reported on air.
If there are several votes, as has happened in recent history, it could delay the congressional certification of President-elect Donald Trump’s win, scheduled to happen on Monday.
Trump has backed Johnson, saying that “He’s the one that can win right now” during a party on New Year’s Eve at his Mar-a-Lago club. CNN reported on air that right now Johnson is the only name being considered as of Monday morning.
The President-elect has laid out a 100-day agenda that he needs the House and Senate, both with Republican majorities, to pass.
“We’re going to get this done,” Johnson told Fox News Thursday. “We’re shifting into a brand-new paradigm. We have unified government that begins tomorrow. We have the White House, the Senate, and the House. A totally different situation than we dealt with over the last 14 months since I’ve been speaker. So, we’re excited to deliver on the America first agenda. It begins on day one, and all that begins right here tomorrow.”
The Republicans hold the House with a slim 220-215 majority, the AP reported. Democrat Rep. Hakeem Jeffries said that his party will not help Johnson this time as they have in the past when Johnson’s been threatened with removal. Rep. Thomas Massie (R - Ky.) said he will vote against Johnson and according to ABC News there are about 17 Republicans who were undecided. Johnson can only have one Republican not vote for him and stay as Speaker, Fox News reported.
Johnson will need a majority of votes in his favor to remain as speaker. The number will be set once Congress opens when the clerk reads the official number of certificates of election and when members declare themselves present during their quorum call, ABC News reported.
On the other side of the Capitol, the Senate will also be sworn in again today, but it has already selected the leaders including Sen. Jon Thune as Republican majority leader and Sen. Chuck Schumer as Democratic minority leader.
Still, any work being done on the Hill has to pause until the House has its leader since the Speaker of the House is second in the line of succession, the AP reported.
The House vote is expected to begin at 12:45 p.m. ET. The quorum call will be at noon.
The Senate will also be gaveled in at noon.
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