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By Jon Jackson and Rachel Dobkin
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Representative Mike Johnson of Louisiana on Wednesday won the House Republican nomination to remain as House speaker.
Johnson faces a full House vote in the new year, where he will need the support of a majority of the full House, 218 votes, in order to continue on as speaker.
Wednesday's closed-door GOP vote was by voice instead of a roll call or ballot vote, according to an unnamed source for The Associated Press (AP). There were no objections to Johnson.
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If Johnson does remain the speaker, he may enjoy a period of goodwill from Republicans eager to institutionalize President-elect Donald Trump's second-term agenda.
Newsweek reached out to Johnson's office via email for comment Wednesday evening.
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Donald Trump Supports Mike Johnson
Trump told House Republicans privately during his first trip back to Washington since the November 5 election, in which the GOP made sweeping gains, that he's with Johnson all the way, according to the AP's unnamed source.
Meanwhile, Johnson praised Trump, calling him the "comeback king."
Trump is the "coach" and Johnson is the "quarterback" as they prepare for a unified Republican government in the new year, Johnson said.
Johnson has embraced Trump's agenda of mass deportations of illegal immigrants, tax cuts, cutting the federal workforce and a stronger U.S. image abroad.
Johnson's Rise to House Speaker After GOP Turmoil
Johnson became House speaker in late October 2023 after over three weeks of GOP turmoil following the historic October 3, 2023, outsing of Representative Kevin McCarthy of California.
The speaker was elected to represent Louisiana's rural 4th Congressional District in 2016. He was fairly new to Congress in comparison to McCarthy, who had been in office since 2007. McCarthy resigned at the end of 2023.
Will Johnson Secure the House Vote for Speaker?
Whether Johnson gets the 218 votes needed from the full House to take the speaker's chair remains unknown.
Johnson still needs to get the majority support of the collective group of Republican and Democrat lawmakers in the lower chamber. The House is expected to remain narrowly split. CNN on Wednesday projected the GOP has taken control of the House.
Johnson has no serious challengers, but he has faced dissent within his ranks in the past, relying on Democrats to help him push through legislation at times.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, unsuccessfully tried to oust Johnson earlier this year after after criticizing a $1.2 trillion spending package he pushed through.
"You know who he's going to have to answer to? Donald Trump," she said.
The speaker election will be held on January 3, when the new Congress convenes.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
Update 11/13/24 6:43 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to include more information.
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