The House Republican Conference on Wednesday nominated Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to continue serving as the leader of the House.
Johnson ran unopposed for the position, and won the Speaker nomination on a unanimous vote. The voice vote in favor of the Louisiana Republican’s bid for Speaker serves as a setback to some conservatives who wanted to set a recorded vote on the speakership nomination.
Johnson will take his nomination to the House floor on January 3, through which he will need a majority of the chamber to continue leading the House.
The Hill reported:
Johnson has sought to keep his grasp on the gavel after winning the top job in a whirlwind process last year following the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
Shortly before Wednesday’s vote, he secured support from President-elect Trump, a boon for his candidacy and path to the gavel going forward. During a meeting with House Republicans Wednesday morning, Trump called Johnson a “good guy” and said “I’m with him all the way,” a source in the room told The Hill.
On Tuesday, Johnson said he was confident about having the nearly unanimous party support to secure his speakership on the House floor.
Conservatives from the House Freedom Caucus and elsewhere have been critical of Johnson’s backing of aid for Ukraine, opposition to privacy reforms for Section 702 of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), and ramming through legislation with Democrat support.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who had led a movement this past congressional term to oust Johnson with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), has not ruled voting for Johnson for Speaker.
“I think whoever’s in charge here in the House, their job is to pass President Trump’s agenda,” she remarked.
Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ), who had also been critical of the Speaker, said, “Ultimately, I want the President to take the field with the team that he wants on the field.”
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on X @SeanMoran3.
