Republican Mike Johnson won re-election as US House of Representatives speaker, overcoming resistance from a small but pivotal group of conservative hardliners after a flurry of last-minute talks and with the help of a critical endorsement from US president-elect Donald Trump.
Johnson won a majority of the votes necessary after nearly all of the dissident ultra-conservatives acquiesced to his continued leadership. The Louisiana Republican initially fell short of the threshold, and the vote was kept open as he conferred with lawmakers in a side room just off the House chamber.
Johnson’s narrow 218-215 win allows him the chance to lead a House with the slimmest margin of control either party has held post-election in about 100 years. It also underscores the difficulty Republicans might face advancing their own legislative priorities despite universal governing control in Washington.
Photo: Reuters
Still, Johnson successfully navigated the divisions among Republicans in his first major test of the new US Congress. Two Republicans, Keith Self and Ralph Norman, who initially voted for other candidates, switched their votes to Johnson after talks with the speaker’s allies.
Norman said on Fox News that he switched his vote after Johnson assured him that he would “fight” for hardline conservative causes in legislation.
Self said he would not “get ahead of the speaker” on specific agreements Johnson made.
Both congressmen said Trump also called them to urge they drop their opposition to Johnson.
The speaker said he told the holdouts he would “involve members at every level,” but otherwise made “no promises.”
Even so, Chip Roy, a conservative hardliner who voted for Johnson, said in a social media post that the speaker still faces discontent from his own party.
Johnson on Dec 4 last year spoke with President William Lai (賴清德) by phone during the latter’s stopover in Guam on his way back from visiting the nation’s allies in the Pacific
The call marked the first direct conversation between the House speaker and Lai since the latter assumed office in May.
Johnson had previously congratulated Lai upon his election in January and renewed the US’ commitment to the security and democracy of its Indo-Pacific partners, the Voice of America reported.
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