All eyes will be laser-focused on Friday’s speaker vote as Mike Johnson tries to cling to the House gavel, potentially overshadowing what could be an awkward two days for Vice President Kamala Harris.
Johnson has already lost the support of fellow Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, meaning to keep his speakership he likely cannot afford another GOP defector. That means other Republicans like Chip Roy of Texas and Victoria Spartz of Indiana, who at press time had not said how they would vote, will enter the House chamber Friday afternoon with plenty of leverage. Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett, another undecided Republican, told CNN on Thursday that there were more than a dozen GOP members who were yet to commit to supporting Johnson.
To win her vote on the floor, Spartz said this week that the Louisiana Republican must publicly pledge fealty to President-elect Donald Trump’s full agenda.
