Mike Johnson was re-elected as speaker of the US House of Representatives with 218 votes, the minimum number needed. Republicans control the chamber by a slim 219-215 majority.
US House Speaker Mike Johnson was re-elected to the top legislative job on Friday, in a lengthy vote that highlighted persistent divisions among Republicans on Capitol Hill.
It initially appeared that Johnson would not have the majority he needed to keep his job in a vote that was supposed to last an hour, but two Republicans changed their votes to support him after some negotiation.
The legislator won re-election with 218 votes, the minimum number necessary. Republicans control the chamber by a slim 219-215 majority.
The vote was a first test of the party's ability to stay united behind President-elect Donald Trump's agenda of tax cuts and border control and also tested the billionaire's influence on Capitol Hill, where a handful of Republicans already They have shown themselves willing to challenge him.
House Republicans have suffered internal divisions over the past two years. Johnson was promoted to leader after the party ousted his predecessor Kevin McCarthy midway through his term.
The mild-mannered 52-year-old representative from Louisiana rose from obscurity to one of the most powerful posts in Washington during three weeks of turmoil in October 2023, when Republicans forced McCarthy out and struggled to agree on a successor.
The conservative Christian lawyer was elected by consensus, but has since struggled to keep his party together.