Republican Mike Johnson reelected House speaker vote after dramatic floor vote

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Mike Johnson has won re-election to House speakership on first-round voting (Jan. 3, 2025). He pushed past GOP holdout and got a boost from President-elect Donald Trump. GOP holdouts convened in back of the House chamber during a tense roll call. It brought an ominous start to the new Congress. Johnson’s weak grip on the gavel threatens not only his own survival as speaker but Trump’s ambitious agenda. Tax cuts and mass deportations are all at stake as Republicans sweep to power in Washington. Next steps are uncertain, but the chamber is expected to try again. A flop by Johnson could have thrown Monday’s (Jan. 6, 2025) congressional certification of Trump’s 2024 election victory into turmoil without a House speaker.