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Mike Johnson wins Republican support to be House speaker again after Trump endorsement

Mike Johnson became speaker in October 2023 after Kevin McCarthy's ouster

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Fox News senior congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reports on the election of Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., as new Senate majority leader.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., was selected to lead the GOP conference again during a closed-door vote on Wednesday.

It comes after President-elect Donald Trump addressed House Republicans earlier in the day and said he was "100%" behind Johnson, multiple sources in the room told Fox News Digital.

Several hard-line GOP members are still holding out their support, however, over his handling of government spending and foreign aid in the current Congress.

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Johnson after last votes last week

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks with reporters in the U.S. Capitol after the last votes of the week on Thursday, September 12, 2024.  (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

It's been a meteoric rise for the Louisiana Republican, who was a relatively little-known lawmaker when he was elected to succeed former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., after he was ousted by all House Democrats and eight fellow Republicans.

Johnson has endured much of the same chaos as McCarthy while presiding over a razor-thin House majority, with GOP rebels weaponizing the small margin in efforts to force the conference to pass more conservative policy.

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Former Speaker McCarthy outside the US Capitol

Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted last year. (Getty Images)

But Johnson did not face any significant challengers on Wednesday, nor was he expected to with House Republicans on track to hold onto the chamber majority in the 119th Congress.

It could be a different story in January, when he will need a majority of the entire House chamber to be elected speaker.

McCarthy infamously had to endure 15 rounds of House votes and was forced to make concessions to a small group of holdouts in exchange for their support.

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ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 28: Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at McCamish Pavilion on October 28, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. Trump is expected to continue visiting battleground states through the week leading up to the Nov. 5th election. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

President-elect Trump has endorsed Johnson. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

With Johnson projected to win just a slim single-digit majority again, he can afford little opposition – or risk paralyzing the House under a new Trump administration.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., ran uncontested for their current roles and are expected to win.

Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

via November 13th 2024