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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Mike Johnson won reelection as House Speaker in a single ballot Friday.
But the victory did not come without drama; though President-elect Donald Trump endorsed Johnson, three House Republicans broke ranks to vote for someone else.
One of the rogue Republicans was Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., who backed Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.
Jordan ran unsuccessfully for Speaker in the last Congress, but said before Friday’s vote that he supported Johnson.
Norman and one of the other breakaway Republicans eventually changed their votes to Johnson, giving him a slender one-vote victory.
Despite the speedy election of a Speaker, Democrats said they were wary of a chaotic session with a divided Republican majority.
“I suspect there will be a lot of dysfunction on the other side. The conference’s virtually the same; you’re not talking about anyone really new over there. So unfortunately, there will be that kind of dysfunction. But with that comes the opportunity for us as Democrats to work with those Republicans who want to govern,” said Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio.
Democrats did work across the aisle just before the holidays, siding with Johnson and a majority of Republicans to keep the government open into March, averting a shutdown.
“Without Hakeem Jeffries, our leader, we would not have been able to keep the government open. We would have raised the debt ceiling,” said Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio. “If they can’t do it on their own or without a significant number of us, they are failing to lead.”
Johnson is certain to face more challenges in the weeks and months ahead. With a razor-thin majority, Republicans can only afford to lose a few GOP votes in order to pass any legislation with help from Democrats. Johnson may thus need to compromise with Democrats at times, drawing the ire of hardline Republicans, and potentially President Trump.
