Incumbent Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) aims to avoid his predecessor’s fate Friday — both his ultimate firing and the humiliating 15-round gauntlet to get the job before it — as the vote for a new speaker opens the 119th Congress.
President-Elect Donald Trump has endorsed Johnson, but the speaker has already lost the one Republican he can spare in Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), given full attendance and no “present” votes.
With margins as tight as they can get, the vote is a test of Trump’s ability to inspire — and leadership’s ability to enforce — Republican unity as the party begins its new trifecta.
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Incumbent Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) aims to avoid his predecessor’s fate Friday — both his ultimate firing and the humiliating 15-round gauntlet to get the job before it — as the vote for a new speaker opens the 119th Congress.
President-Elect Donald Trump has endorsed Johnson, but the speaker has already lost the one Republican he can spare in Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), given full attendance and no “present” votes.
With margins as tight as they can get, the vote is a test of Trump’s ability to inspire — and leadership’s ability to enforce — Republican unity as the party begins its new trifecta.
