About a dozen lawmakers remain major question marks in Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) bid to win a vote before the gavel on Friday.
While the specific interests of holdouts vary, those who do not support Johnson generally want him to commit to spending cuts and give them assurances that rank-and-file members will be included in negotiations over future high-risk legislation. Multiple sources told The Hill.
The House clerk will call lawmakers in alphabetical order when voting begins early Friday afternoon.
Assuming all House members are present and vote for a candidate, Johnson can afford to lose just one Republican.
Here are the lawmakers to watch in the vote for speaker, most of whom were in meetings with Johnson on Thursday:
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.): Biggs, a former chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, has historically taken a more aggressive stance on key speakership issues than some of his Freedom Caucus colleagues. He voted “present” in the 15th speaker election in January 2023, which handed the gavel to former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), and was one of eight Republicans who ousted McCarthy nine months later.
“There are some issues that I think need to be addressed, particularly the budget issues,” Biggs said on Fox News shortly after President-elect Trump endorsed Johnson on Monday.
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.): The fiery conservative and Freedom Caucus member told former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Ga.) in a Interview about his novel show on One America News Network that a commitment by Johnson to appoint Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) as chairman of the House Rules Committee would “secure the first-round vote without a significant fight.”
Roy is one of several members He is trying to lead the powerful body but is seen as extremely unlikely for the job given his history of voting against Republican procedural votes, known as rules, in the House of Representatives. The decision about the chairmanship rests solely with Johnson.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.): Burchett, one of eight Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy, said Trump’s support would likely give Johnson the votes he needs to secure the presidency.
“I think the die is cast,” Burchett told Fox News on Monday.
But on Thursday morning, Burchett told The Hill he was not committed to supporting Johnson.
Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.): Burlison had called Johnson’s handling of a December short-term spending bill a “total dumpster fire,” a sentiment shared by a number of those who refused to commit to the speaker’s re-election.
Rep. Michael Cloud (R-Texas): Cloud said as he left Johnson’s office Thursday that getting a yes vote from Johnson was “the goal all along” and that the meeting was “productive.” But shortly afterwards, Cloud made more cryptic comments in a post on the social platform X.
“There are concerns that a delay in choosing a speaker could lead to a short delay in implementing President Trump’s agenda. This is a legitimate concern that I share. The other option on the table is maintaining the status quo, which will undoubtedly fail Trump’s agenda. I’m working on finding a third option. We must ensure the House is structured to sustainably implement the America First agenda,” said Cloud, a member of the Freedom Caucus.
Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.): Clyde left Johnson’s office on Thursday, refusing to say whether he had come to a yes vote, but joked: “We were working on Project 2025.”
“There will be a Republican speaker,” Clyde said.
Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.): Crane, who was seen leaving Johnson’s office on Thursday, said The Hill In December, he learned that the hard-line Conservative spending bill was influencing his opinion of his choice for speaker. Crane was one of the Republicans who voted to remove McCarthy.
Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.): Harris, the newly re-elected chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, played a key role in brokering an internal GOP deal in the House to raise the threshold for triggering the speaker’s “motion to vacate” to nine members, which helped secure Johnson was unanimously appointed speaker in November.
And even as Johnson faced backlash over an initial short-term funding bill, Harris said he still supported Johnson. But that changed a few days later when Harris said he was “undecided about what leadership should look like in the 119th Congress,” citing concerns novel editions cannot be offset by cuts.
Several sources said Harris expressed anger over how the December spending bill handled funding for the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. Harris wanted the bill to prevent the bridge from being renamed — something Activists had demanded because Key owned slaves – and wanted a project labor contract not required but allowed.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.): Massie is the only MP who has said he will vote for a candidate other than Johnson and is widely considered unwavering. He has extensively criticized Johnson’s handling of spending matters and his work with Democrats to pass legislation last year.
Rep. Ralph Norman (RS.C.): Norman left Johnson’s office Thursday saying he was “very pleased” with the discussions but that he would not make an announcement about how he would vote locally before the actual vote.
“Donald Trump, his support carries great weight and we want him to succeed. We want to be a part of it, like Mike Johnson does. But it comes down to concrete steps and things that Mike can put into action as only a speaker can,” Norman said.
Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.): Ogles left Johnson’s office Thursday and declined to say how he would vote in the election for speaker, but said he plans to continue speaking with Johnson.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas): Roy was a key figure in negotiating agreements that ultimately led to McCarthy’s election, such as increasing the representation of hard-line conservatives in key committee posts and lowering the hurdle to force a vote to remove the speaker.
He already has that faced a primary threat from Trump in December, accusing the Texas congressman of “standing in the way” of a push to raise the debt ceiling as part of the spending bill.
Roy said Tuesday on Fox Business that he remained undecided “because we saw so many failures last year that we’re concerned that it could limit or hinder our ability to advance the president’s agenda.”
Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.): The Ukrainian-born congresswoman is considered the biggest wild card in the election for speaker given her past odd positions And Flip flop This keeps members guessing.
Spartz met with Johnson on Thursday and told reporters after the meeting that she would decide her vote on Friday – the day of the election.
“We had a good conversation. I think he agrees with a lot of things, but it’s difficult to deliver,” Spartz said.
