Will Mike Johnson Remain House Speaker? What We Know

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House Speaker Mike Johnson is facing a challenging fight to remain in his position as he struggles to secure the near-unanimous support needed from House Republicans.

Newsweek has contacted Johnson's office for comment via email.

Why It Matters

The House cannot conduct any official business until it elects a new speaker. If Johnson fails on Friday to secure the 218 votes required for a simple majority to remain speaker, the House risks being in limbo until the issue is resolved.

This includes the potential delay of the certification of President-elect Donald Trump's 2024 election victory on January 6.

What to Know

Several House Republicans expressed disappointment in Johnson's decision to work with Democrats to pass a continuing resolution on December 20, which avoided a government shutdown.

The GOP is set to hold a slim 219-215 majority when the House reconvenes on January 3, with former Florida Representative Matt Gaetz's seat expected to be vacant.

This razor-thin margin means Johnson cannot afford more than one Republican defection in a full House vote to reach the 218 simple-majority votes needed, assuming all Democrats back House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for the role.

Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie, a longtime critic of Johnson, said he will not support the speaker's reelection bid, and is considering voting for another candidate. Several other House Republicans have said they were undecided.

Johnson's chances were buoyed by an endorsement from Trump. Speaking at a New Year's Eve party at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Trump pledged to call fellow Republicans to drum up support for Johnson.

Polymarket, an online platform where users bet on the likelihood of global events, currently gives Johnson a 92 percent chance of retaining the speakership at time of writing. This is up from 61 percent on December 20 after Massie indicated he would not support Johnson.

Johnson could still remain speaker if Massie votes for another and at least one House Republican votes "present." In this scenario, the majority threshold would drop, and Johnson's presumed 217 votes would constitute a majority of the 433 House votes.

What People Are Saying

House Speaker Mike Johnson told News Radio 710 KEEL on Tuesday: "There's no other alternative for speaker of the House, guys. There's not another name circulated, there's no other candidate proposed, because everyone knows that I'm the only one who can get the votes,"

Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie posted on X, formerly Twitter, on December 30: "I respect and support President Trump, but his endorsement of Mike Johnson is going to work out about as well as his endorsement of Speaker Paul Ryan. We've seen Johnson partner with the Democrats to send money to Ukraine, authorize spying on Americans, and blow the budget."

Texas Representative Chip Roy spoke to Fox Business on Tuesday: "I remain undecided, as do a number of my colleagues, because we saw so many of the failures last year that we are concerned about. Right now, I don't believe he has the votes on Friday."

Indiana Representative Victoria Spartz wrote on X: "I understand why President Trump is endorsing Speaker Johnson as he did Speaker Ryan, which is definitely important. However, we still need to get assurances that Speaker Johnson won't sell us out to the swamp."

Maryland Representative Andy Harris told Newsmax: "The speaker has four days to convince people that what happened over the past year, and especially what happened two weeks ago, is not going to happen next year."

South Dakota Representative Dusty Johnson told CNN: "Mike Johnson was in a good spot before President Trump's endorsement. Clearly, he's in an even better spot now."

President-elect Donald Trump speaking to reporters at Mar-a-Lago on December 31: "He's [Johnson] the one that can win right now. People like him. Almost everybody likes him."

Former Republican House speaker Newt Gingrich posted on X on Tuesday: "I do not understand what the CONTRARIAN House Republicans think they will gain by opposing Speaker Mike Johnson. They have no one who can get more votes. They risk crippling President Trump's electoral win on January 6. They are in effect allies of the Democrats. I challenge them to explain what their end game is other than noise."