In a closed-door vote Wednesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) was once again elected speaker of the Republican conference.
The remarks came after President-elect Donald Trump addressed House Republicans earlier in the day, saying he supported Johnson “100 percent,” according to people present. told Fox News Digital.
But several hardline Republicans remain supportive of his handling of government spending and foreign aid in the current Congress.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) speaks with reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, September 12, 2024, after voting for the last time this week. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
It's a meteoric rise for the then-relatively unknown Louisiana Republican who was elected to replace former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) after he was ousted by all House Democrats and eight Republicans. It was such a breakthrough.
Mr. Johnson has endured much of the same turmoil as Mr. McCarthy as speaker with a razor-thin House majority, but Republican insurgents are trying to use that slim margin to force the convention to pass more conservative policies. .
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Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted last year. (Getty Images)
But Johnson did not face a serious challenger on Wednesday, and was not expected to, with House Republicans on track to maintain a floor majority in the 119th Congress.
That could change in January, as he would need a majority of the entire House to be elected speaker.
Infamously, Mr. McCarthy had to endure 15 House votes and was forced to make concessions in exchange for support from a small group of allies.
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President-elect Trump endorsed Johnson. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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Mr Johnson is expected to win another slim single-digit majority, giving him little room for opposition or risk paralysis in the House of Commons under the new Trump administration.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Majority Leader Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) are running unopposed and are expected to win.
