Johnson defies critics to claim Speakership on first round, quells narrative of MAGA 'revolt'

House Speaker Mike Johnson overcame internal Republican dissent and external scrutiny from Trump-aligned conservative figures to claim the Speaker’s gavel on the first round of voting on Friday. His success defied the predictions of analysts, who widely predicted a repeat of the multi-round vote-athon that put Kevin McCarthy in the post two years ago.

Johnson initially appeared poised to fail on the first ballot, with three Republicans initially casting votes for other candidates and all Democrats backing their party’s leader, Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., at first voted for Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, while Rep. Keith Self, R-Pa., first backed Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., voted for Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn.

The voting stalled at 216 votes for Johnson to 215 for Jeffries, plus the three holdouts. After briefly leaving the chamber with Johnson, Norman and Self returned to the chamber after conferring and switched their votes for Johnson, putting him at 218, the bare minimum number needed for him to claim the job. Massie remained the sole holdout.

Massie had been a vocal opponent of Johnson’s leadership, and even told former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., that he would not cast a vote for the Louisiana lawmaker were he subjected to torture.

Ultimately, a consensus

Other Republicans in the party’s conservative wing had also been vocally critical of Johnson’s leadership, especially on budget matters. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, attracted attention as a possible dissenter, but ultimately did not vote against Johnson.

“I think he gets it on the first ballot,” Emmer said ahead of the vote. “I think he’s going to be fine. You’re not missing anything. Your job is to report all this stuff. I don’t think you’re missing anything.”

The initial pause after lawmakers cast their votes led pundits and reporters to seize on pronouncements that Johnson would succeed on the first vote as “fake news,” though the reversal of the two Republicans led those same reporters to follow suit. Trump celebrated Johnson’s swift victory, asserting it signaled strong support for him in House of Representatives.

"Congratulations to Speaker Mike Johnson for receiving an unprecedented Vote of Confidence in Congress. Mike will be a Great Speaker, and our Country will be the beneficiary," Trump posted on Truth Social after the vote. "The People of America have waited four years for Common Sense, Strength, and Leadership. They’ll get it now, and America will be greater than ever before!"

"Let's get to work."

“It’s an incredible honor to continue serving our great country as Speaker of [the] House. Now, let’s get to work,” Johnson said after the vote.

The Louisiana Republican reciprocated Trump’s sentiment, vowing to work closely with him and his administration to implement the key points of the Republican platform and MAGA agenda.

“In the coming months, we are going to pass legislation to roll back the totalitarian fourth branch of government known as the administrative state,” he pronounced. “We are going to drastically cut back the size and scope of government. We’re gonna return the power back to the people. And in coordination with President Trump and his administration we are going to create a leaner, faster, more efficient federal workforce. We need to do that.”

Whether Johnson can deliver on those promises remains to be seen. The House Republican majority currently includes 219 lawmakers, with 215 Democrats and one seat empty due to the resignation of Gaetz. That majority is further expected to temporarily shrink as several members of the conference are expected to enter the Trump administration. The timing of special elections to fill those seats remains contingent on the success of those nominations, however.