Mike Johnson overcame a razor-thin margin to keep his role as Speaker of US House of Representatives on Friday as the 119th United States Congress convened.
Johnson’s election came despite earlier fears that some Republicans were dissatisfied with his performance and were looking to elect a new Speaker.
He got almost unanimous support from Republicans, who hold a razor-thin majority over Democrats in the lower chamber of Congress.
Three hard-right Republicans at first voted against him, leaving Johnson short of the majority he would need to remain in the job, but two of them changed their minds at the last minute.
He received 218 votes out of the 434 members that voted. Democrats nominated and voted for Hakeem Jeffries, who received 215 votes.
A test of Trump’s influence
The House had to elect its speaker before the new Congress could do anything.
Without a House speaker, Monday’s certification of President-elect Donald Trump’s 2024 election victory would have been in trouble.
Trump fully supported Johnson on Friday hailing his victory as a sign of the country’s bright future.
“Mike will be a Great Speaker, and our Country will be the beneficiary. The People of America have waited four years for Common Sense, Strength, and Leadership,” Trump, posted on social media.
Defeat for Johnson would have marked another embarrassment for Trump, who was shown the limits of his sway over House Republicans after they rebuffed his demands for a suspension of the country’s borrowing limit in December.
