The House Republicans on Wednesday (November 13) nominated current House Speaker Mike Johnson to continue serving as the Speaker of the House in the next Congress. Johnson will still face a full House vote challenge early next year.
Several media outlets reported that House Republicans unanimously nominated Johnson as the Speaker through a voice vote.
Sources familiar with the matter told the “Congressional Hill Report” that Louisiana Federal Congressman and current Speaker Johnson won unanimous support from House Republicans on Wednesday without any competitors.
As of Wednesday, both the “Congressional Hill Report” and CNN announced that the Republicans had secured control of the House of Representatives.
Although Johnson easily secured the Speaker nomination at the closed-door Republican meeting on Wednesday, he will face a challenge in the full House vote on January 3. At that time, Johnson will need the support of over half of the members to continue serving as the Speaker. With Republicans holding only a slim majority in the House, this means he will need nearly unanimous Republican support to continue leading the House.
Johnson expressed optimism on Tuesday about the possibility of continuing to lead the House next year. He stated that he is confident in winning the Speaker position in the first round of voting in January.
“I am confident. I am talking to everyone,” he said. “I believe the party will be completely united.”
Since taking over the position from former Speaker Kevin McCarthy last year, Johnson has been striving to remain in office.
Shortly before the House Republican vote on Wednesday, Johnson received an endorsement from President Trump. This endorsement proved to be a significant boost for him.
Sources told the “Congressional Hill Report” that during a meeting with House Republicans on Wednesday morning, Trump referred to Johnson as a “good person” and stated, “I have always supported him.”