Speaker-designate Mike Johnson, R-Los Angeles He was re-elected To lead the House of Representatives on Friday despite the loss of one of his Republican colleagues in the final vote count.
Ultimately, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., was the only Republican to vote against Johnson, but it could have been worse for the Speaker of the House. Reps. Keith Self, R-Texas, and Ralph Norman, R-S.D., initially voted for someone else but switched their support to Johnson.
Norman told Fox News that he changed his vote after he got some assurances from Johnson.
“I said, ‘Mike, will you give us specific examples of fighting for the things we mentioned? Will you give us your word?' He said, 'Yes.' I said, 'Okay, we'll take your word for it.'” “That's why I changed my vote,” Norman explained Friday.The story“.
Trump cheers for Johnson, who wins the speaker’s vote: “America is back”
Johnson's future looked uncertain at one point Friday afternoon when… Norman, Macy and Psyche They voted for someone other than him for speaker, apparently putting the gavel out of reach.
Johnson then met with Self, Norman and other lawmakers behind closed doors before concluding the vote. Both later appeared and switched their votes to support Johnson.
Norman shared that his initial opposition was rooted in concern over whether Johnson had the “willingness to fight for it.” Trump's agenda“.
“We met with Speaker Johnson yesterday for a significant period of time, and I didn't get the feeling that the attraction or the desire to fight for Trump's agenda was there,” he said on “The Story.”
Norman stood behind his initial decision to vote against Johnson, giving his reasons “The only way I had to make my voice heard.”
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Ultimately, the Louisiana Republican won along party lines during the first round of voting, a stark contrast to his predecessor Kevin McCarthy's long, 15-round battle in 2023.
Johnson's re-election victory comes despite threats from some conservatives who threatened to withhold support from Johnson in protest of his handling of government funding and many other issues in the 118th Congress.
“I think he now understands the fact that no more hanging votes, where we allow more Democratic votes than Republican votes — that's what's killing the country,” Norman said. “If we were to do the same thing over and over again as we have done over the last 14 months, we would be in the same position. I'm not willing to accept that, and I haven't.”
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“Mike's got a tremendous opportunity to show the American people that he's not just going to say it, he's going to fight it. He will have it Trump supports him“This is all a good thing.”
Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
