[epoch_component type=”live_update” section_title=”Norman: Trump Helped Johnson Win Gavel” update_time=”2025-01-03T21:31″ inline_authors=”183907,202900,153198″ update_source=”” pinned=”false”]
WASHINGTON—President-elect Donald Trump was crucial to House Speaker-elect Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) victory on the first round of voting, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) told reporters after the vote.
Near the end of the first, and only, round of voting for the speaker—a task the House must perform before members can be sworn in—Johnson seemed poised to fall short of the 218 votes he needed, despite Trump’s support for his bid.
Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) (L) speaks with Reps. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) (C) and Keith Self (R-Texas) as the House votes for Speaker of the House on the first day of the 119th Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 3, 2025. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Three Republicans, including Norman and Reps. Keith Self (R-Texas) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), initially voted for candidates other than Johnson, making it impossible for Johnson to hit the 218 minimum he needed….
Johnson Wins Speakership in Dramatic 1st Ballot
