As we reported on Friday, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) was re-elected Speaker of the House of Representatives in the first round, despite the drama that the vote could take longer.
The huge question had been how some of the people who weren’t convinced by Johnson would vote. As RedState’s Jennifer Van Laar wrote:
The vote was not without drama. Initially, Johnson received 216 votes to Jeffries’ 215 votes; Three representatives (Massie, Norman and Self) voted for others. After about 30 minutes, Johnson, Norman and Self left the room, presumably to discuss how to shift their votes to Johnson’s column.
Ultimately, Reps. Ralph Norman (R-SC) and Keith Self (R-TX) voted for Johnson after speaking with Johnson and President-elect Donald Trump. She and other people who had reservations “obtained general commitments from Johnson and other Republicans that the GOP conference should work more together.”
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) continued to oppose Johnson.
READ MORE: BREAKING: We have a speaker on the first vote
NEW: We now know why Representatives Norman and Self changed their votes in the speaker election
The House Freedom Caucus issued a letter explaining why it ultimately approved the vote despite having reservations about Johnson. The 11 members who signed the letter included Reps. Andy Biggs, Chip Roy, Andy Harris, Michael Cloud, Scott Perry, Ralph Norman, Clay Higgins, Eli Crane, Andy Ogles, Eric Burlison and Andrew Clyde. Ultimately, they wrote, it comes down to standing by Trump.
Today, the Board of Directors of the House Freedom Caucus released the attached letter to its Republican colleagues regarding today’s vote for Speaker. pic.twitter.com/lV1ZLnT0aC
– House Freedom Caucus (@freedomcaucus) January 3, 2025
“Today we voted for Mike Johnson for Speaker of the House of Representatives because of our unwavering support of President Trump and to ensure the timely certification of his electors,” the group wrote.
“We did this despite our serious reservations about the Speaker’s track record over the past 15 months.”
They demanded that the House work quickly on Trump’s agenda, including implementing “critical border security, spending cuts, pro-growth tax policy, regulatory reform and reversing the damage done by the Biden-Harris administration.”
“Now Speaker Johnson must prove he will not fail to carry out President Trump’s bold agenda,” the lawmakers warned. “Personalities can be discussed later, but right now there is no room for error on the policies the American people demanded when they voted for President Trump – the policies necessary to save the country. We demand quick implementation from the House of Representatives.”
Ultimately, they all came together to assist carry out the Trump agenda. Now hopefully that means they can all come together to do what the American people voted for, that legislation can be passed quickly, and that they can make real reforms.
This is the moment; They have enough numbers if they can keep it together. We also have the Senate and the White House. It’s time to make huge changes that have been needed for some time – and mitigate all the damage Joe Biden and the Democrats have done. This is about restoring America, and that’s what they should all be here for.
