The new Congress got off to a stumbling start Friday, as Mike Johnson initially appeared to fall short of winning the speakership on the first ballot, before some last-minute arm-bending convinced two Republican holdouts to switch their votes. Johnson was elected speaker with 218 votes, the bare minimum.
Starting the year off this way highlights the difficulties Republicans can expect in mustering majorities to pass legislation in the 119th Congress. The party holds just 219 House seats to Democrats’ 215, the smallest majority in nearly a century. Not even President-elect Donald Trump’s endorsement of Johnson earlier this week, which he reiterated in a social media post Friday morning, managed to secure an easy path.
Kentucky’s Thomas Massie, who had already vowed to vote against Johnson heading into Friday, cast a ballot for the No. 3 House Republican Tom Emmer.
