Washington — House Republicans are expected to coalesce around Speaker Mike Johnson in their leadership elections Wednesday, which come just as they secured majority control of the lower chamber for another two years.
Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, both from Louisiana, are expected to be reelected to their positions in the next Congress, which begins in January. In a pair of letters to their Republican colleagues last week, both Johnson and Scalise laid out similar priorities including border security, extending Trump-era tax cuts, reining in government spending and cutting regulations.
Several House members said earlier Wednesday that Johnson had the support of President-elect Donald Trump, who attended their candidate forum earlier in the day with Elon Musk, who Trump has tapped to lead the new “Department of Government Efficiency.”
“You don’t fire people after you win the majority, and every one of those people in our leadership worked hard. Nobody worked harder than the speaker, so I think he had that room going in,” Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma said after their conference meeting. “I think [Trump] made it very apparent how much he appreciated all Mike Johnson had done.”
Rep. Austin Scott of Georgia and Rep. Mike Lawler of New York both said Johnson earned another term as speaker.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota is also seeking to remain in his role.
The election for the No. 4 leadership spot, House Republican Conference chair, is a competitive race, after Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York was offered a role to serve in President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Rep. Kat Cammack of Florida and Rep. Lisa McClain of Michigan announced Monday they are running for conference chair.
It’s also a two-way race between Rep. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma and Rep. Gary Palmer of Alabama for policy committee chairman. Palmer currently holds the position.
Rep. Erin Houchin of Indiana, who initially said she was running for conference chair, said she would instead seek the position of conference secretary. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa and Rep. Mark Alford of Missouri are also running for the role.
In his letter seeking reelection, Emmer acknowledged the infighting that has been a staple of the GOP majority in the current Congress.
“We will always have disagreements over policy and strategy. That’s a good thing,” he said in his pitch. “Governing is messy and imperfect. But I have always believed that there is more that unites us than divides us. I’ve witnessed this as your whip, bringing together members from across our conference to hash out these disagreements and find a path to 218 votes.”
Republicans regained control of the House in the 2022 midterm elections after four years of Democratic rule. But infighting has made it difficult for them to govern with a razor-thin majority amid early retirements and the expulsion of GOP Rep. George Santos, whose New York seat was later picked up by a Democrat.
CBS News estimates that Republicans will win a minimum of 218 seats in the next Congress, with their final number likely ending up between 220 and 222 — a narrow margin on par with their current majority.
A slim majority would again put Johnson in a difficult position, even with Republicans in power in the Senate and White House. Johnson has had to rely on Democratic votes to pass legislation and was even rescued by Democrats from an ouster attempt.
Trump’s personnel selections for his second term could also have an effect on the Republican majority. The former president has tapped two House Republicans to serve in his administration, which will squeeze the GOP majority even further until those seats are filled in a special election.
Cole said members “teased” Trump about cutting into their potential majority after Trump praised his picks.
“And somebody said, ‘No more! No more!,'” Cole said.