The upcoming vote for Speaker of the House is set to take place on January 3, 2025, as mandated by the Constitution. The previous race for the top House post saw former Rep. Kevin McCarthy being ousted as speaker by his Republican colleagues in October 2023. It took lawmakers several weeks to elect their next leader, Rep. Mike Johnson, who is now running to retain his position in the next Congress. The 2025 vote carries significant pressure as the House must elect a speaker in order to certify President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory just days later.
Republicans currently hold the majority in the House for the 119th Congress, with Rep. Mike Johnson running again as head of the chamber. At this point, no other candidates have thrown their hat into the ring, but alternatives have been floated in past years. A candidate for speaker must secure an outright majority to win, meaning a Republican candidate would need 218 votes out of 434. Some GOP lawmakers have not committed to supporting Johnson, with Rep. Thomas Massie and Rep. Scott Perry expressing reservations. House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries stated that Democrats won’t bail out Johnson if he does not receive enough GOP votes.
Johnson faces potential pushback against his re-election efforts as more than two dozen Republicans broke with him on the recent government funding bill. While the bill eventually passed with unanimous Democrat support, Johnson could potentially face opposition from four to 10 Republicans in the speaker’s race. The vote is set to take place just three days before Congress’s scheduled certification of the Electoral College results for Trump. The House cannot proceed with any official business until a speaker is elected and the next Congress is sworn in, a process that could potentially delay the certification of the election results.
Former President Trump announced his endorsement of Johnson for speaker, citing him as a hard-working and religious man who will do the right thing for the country. Trump’s endorsement could prove pivotal for Johnson’s chances in the vote on Friday. The previous speaker election in January 2023 took House Republicans four days and 15 ballots to elect a speaker, highlighting the challenges of finding consensus within the GOP. The 2025 vote will be closely watched to see if Johnson can secure enough support from his Republican colleagues to retain his position as Speaker of the House for the next two years.
