The House will soon vote on the Speaker of the House who will lead the chamber for the next two years under the next Republican administration.
The last race for the top House position was plagued by infighting within the Republican Party, which has not been able to easily find consensus on a candidate for speaker in recent years. Former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) will be ousted as speaker by his fellow Republicans in October 2023, and lawmakers will eventually seek the next leader, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana). It took several weeks to select one.
Johnson is running to retain his seat in the next Congress, but he has not yet received support from all of his Republican colleagues. There will be particular pressure on the 2025 vote because the House will need to agree and select a speaker to certify President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory in the coming days.
When will the Speaker of the House vote take place?
The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote at noon on Friday, January 3, 2025, as required by the Constitution.
Hitchhiker’s guide to choosing house speakers right away
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is running for Speaker of the 119th Congress. (Valerie Preche)
Before the 119th Congress can be sworn in, a Speaker must be elected.
Who is running?
Republicans hold a majority in the House of Representatives in the 119th Congress, and they are in charge of selecting the speaker.
Current House Speaker Mike Johnson is running again for Speaker of the House. No other candidates have entered the ring at this time, but in past years, alternatives have emerged on election day.
How many votes does a candidate need to win?
Republicans currently hold a slim majority of four seats, 219 to Democrats’ 215.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy swears in House officers at the U.S. Capitol on January 7, 2023 (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times)
The Trump administration’s Cabinet nominees, Reps. Mike Walz (R-Fla.) and Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), are expected to be confirmed by the Senate in the coming weeks. Pending confirmation and assuming the role, the Republican majority is expected to shrink further. Speaker vote.
Candidates for the chair must receive an absolute majority to be elected. Considering the number of seats held by Republicans, if all 434 members vote, a Republican candidate would need 218 votes.
Republican lawmaker “fully supports” Speaker Johnson; “Prolonged battle for chair is unnecessary”
Which Republican is not committed to supporting Johnson?
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) recently told reporters he would not vote for Johnson as speaker.
Another Republican suggested he wasn’t planning to vote for Johnson yet, saying: “I think Mike has done a great job under tough circumstances so far, but I’m going to keep my options open.” I would like to discuss this with Mr. Johnson.” Mike,” Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Scott Perry said on Fox Business’ “Mornings with Maria.”
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) recently told reporters he would not vote for Rep. Mike Johnson as speaker of the House. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call/File)
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York recently said that Democrats would not bail out Johnson if there were not enough Republican votes.
How might recent government funding bills affect voting?
Johnson introduced a government funding bill in early December, but the initial proposal died before it reached the House of Commons due to opposition from Republican lawmakers and non-Trump allies Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. It was done.
A second government funding bill was introduced in the House, but a bipartisan group of lawmakers voted against it. Mr. Johnson introduced a third policy, but many of his Republican colleagues did not support it. Thirty-four Republicans voted against Johnson’s bill, but it passed in the House with unanimous support from Democrats.
More than 20 Republicans have broken with Mr. Johnson in the fight over government funding, and Mr. Johnson could face a potential backlash in his bid to be re-elected speaker. Fox News’ Chad Pergram previously reported that between four and 10 Republicans could oppose Johnson in the race for speaker.
Could the House election affect the certification of the election?
The speaker’s vote will take place on Friday, just three days before Congress is scheduled to certify Trump’s electoral vote results.
President-elect Donald Trump is supporting Congressman Mike Johnson for Speaker of the House. (Andrew Harnik)
The House cannot proceed with any official business, including counting the presidential election votes for Trump, until a speaker is elected and sworn in during the next session. In January 2023, House Republicans took four days and 15 votes to choose a speaker.
President Trump has announced that he will endorse Johnson, an endorsement that could be crucial in determining the Louisiana Republican’s chances of winning in Friday’s vote.
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“The American people need immediate relief from all the destructive policies of the previous administration. Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hard-working, and godly man. He will do the right thing, and We will continue to win. Mike has my full policy. Full support!!!,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Monday.
FOX News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
Aubrey Spady is a writer for Fox News Digital.
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