What to know about race for speaker of the House

The House of Representatives is gearing up to vote for a new speaker of the House to lead the chamber for the next two years under the incoming Republican administration. The previous race for the top House post was marred by infighting among the GOP, who have struggled to find consensus on a speaker candidate in recent years. Former Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was ousted as speaker by his Republican colleagues in October 2023, leading to a prolonged struggle to elect a new leader. Eventually, Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., was elected as the new speaker.

As the 2025 vote for speaker approaches, Johnson is running to retain his position in the next Congress. However, he has not yet received unanimous support from his Republican colleagues. The upcoming vote carries significant pressure as the House must elect a speaker in order to certify President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory just days later.

The House is scheduled to vote on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, at noon, as mandated by the Constitution. Republicans currently hold a slim majority in the chamber with 219 seats compared to the Democrats’ 215. In order to win the speaker position, a candidate must secure an outright majority, which in this case would require 218 votes if all 434 members vote.

While Johnson is the current frontrunner for the speaker position, there are some Republicans who have not committed to supporting him. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., has stated that he will not vote for Johnson, and Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., has indicated that he wants to have a conversation with Johnson before making a decision.

The recent government funding bill introduced by Johnson has also stirred up some controversy within the GOP. Several Republicans voted against Johnson’s proposed bills, leading to speculation that he may face pushback in his re-election efforts. Despite this, President-elect Donald Trump has endorsed Johnson for the speaker position, which could potentially influence the outcome of the vote.

The House cannot proceed with any official business, such as certifying the results of the Electoral College for Trump, until a speaker is elected and the next Congress is sworn in. With the vote just days before the certification of the election results, the pressure is on for the House to come to a decision on the speaker position. As the date of the vote approaches, all eyes will be on the House of Representatives to see who will emerge as the new leader of the chamber.