CLEVELAND — Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted has emerged as a late and leading contender to succeed Vice President-elect JD Vance in the Senate, three Republicans familiar with the process said.
Gov. Mike DeWine will appoint a replacement once Vance resigns his Senate seat — something that must happen before Vance and President-elect Donald Trump take office Jan. 20.
What’s not yet clear is if Husted would accept an appointment, which would run through a special election in 2026 to fill the remaining two years of Vance’s term. But some GOP insiders believe the job is Husted’s if he wants it.
Stacey Plaskett, a nonvoting Democratic delegate from the U.S. Virgin Islands, stood after the first roll-call vote to ask why delegates from the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia were not asked to vote for speaker.
Plaskett said that the delegates represent “collectively 4 million Americans” and added, “This body and this nation has a territory and a colonies problem,” after the parliamentarian told her that delegates-elect were not eligible to vote for speaker.
“What should have been temporary has now effectively become permanent. We must do something about this,” Plaskett said before the parliamentarian ceased to recognize her with time to speak.
Reps. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., and Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., just went to the well to vote for Johnson after choosing not to vote before. Rep. Andy Biggs also cast a voice vote for Johnson.
Johnson appears not to have the votes after several defections. The vote count stands at 216 for Johnson, 215 for Jeffries, one for Emmer, one vote Donalds and one for Jordan. Johnson needs 218 votes.
Two House Republicans who have not supported Johnson for speaker were also among the few GOP lawmakers who did not back Trump during the presidential primary.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the primary, while Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., endorsed former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who also served as governor of Norman’s home state.
A third Johnson defector, Texas Rep. Keith Self, did back Trump in the presidential primary along with the majority of House Republicans.
Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, voted for Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., for speaker. This is the third Johnson defection.
Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., voted for Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, for speaker on the first ballot, the second GOP defection after Massie.
As former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., voted for Jeffries, Democrats applauded.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said she was voting for “MAGA Mike Johnson” during her turn in the roll-call vote.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., are furiously taking notes during the speaker vote on the first ballot that’s still ongoing.
Rep. Tom Massie votes for Majority Whip Tom Emmer to be speaker. Massie had said before the vote he was a “no” on Johnson.
Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, was heckled on the House floor by Republicans shouting “order!” as he sought to say a few words about Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., while he voted for him as speaker.
After Republicans’ outcry, the clerk reminded Green that he only needed to say someone’s surname to vote for them.
Former House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., didn’t cast a vote for speaker. Neither did current House Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., and a few other Republicans.
Many Congress members brought their kids to the Capitol today, an opening day tradition to bring family members since members are expected to be sworn in later. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., has her son sitting on her lap in the chamber.
Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., said in a social media post that he brought his son with him. When his son was a baby, he famously brought him to the lengthy speaker vote that ended with Kevin McCarthy elected after 15 rounds.
He captioned the side-by-side comparison, “How it started, how it’s going.”
It’s notable that Reps. Lauren Boebert and Tim Burchett voted for Johnson, both were considered possible nos. Members may change their vote up until the end, though.
The speaker vote has begun. Only Johnson and Jeffries were nominated but members can vote for any person during the vote.
Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., nominated Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., to be speaker of the House.
In his speech, he called Jeffries’ leadership one of “compromise, conviction, and compassion.”
He threw shade at Mike Johnson’s handling of the government funding package last month, saying Jeffries is the only candidate for speaker who knows how to cut a bipartisan deal and stick to it. Democrats applauded.
“There is only one leader who understands the needs of the working people and has lived the American dream himself and is committed to ensuring its promise for future generations,” he added.
Senators were sworn in in groups of four, and Ohio Sen. and VP-elect JD Vance was standing behind Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, as he was being sworn in by VP Harris. Vance and Harris did not appear to shake hands or interact.
The full number of the Senate is now 99 senators: 52 Republicans and 47 Democrats.
Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., the chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, officially nominated Johnson to another term as speaker.
In a speech on the House floor, she called Johnson the same, “kind and caring person as he was before he assumed this role.”
“I know Mike will be an integral part of this country’s comeback,” McClain added. “He will lead us through another successful Republican majority, as chairwoman of the unified House Republican Conference, I can say proudly that we are ready to govern.”
The House has finished its quorum call, taking the roll to see how many members are here today to vote. One Republican is missing — that’s the empty seat just vacated by former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.
Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., was initially absent but has since arrived, meaning all members (434) are now here. That’s 219 Republicans and 215 Democrats.
Johnson will need to win a majority — 218 votes — to be re-elected as speaker. He can lose one Republican and still win the gavel.
Lawmakers in the chamber applauded as the House clerk announced that former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., won’t take his seat in the new Congress.
While Gaetz was re-elected to Congress in November, he resigned from the House late last year after Trump had selected him as his attorney general nominee. Gaetz withdrew from the process as he was marred by allegations of sexual assault, among other things. He has denied any wrongdoing but said he would not return to the House in the new Congress.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is sworn in as president pro tempore.
In response to a lengthy post from Johnson, Rep. Victoria Spartz offered praise for Mike Johnson after he posted a list of his commitments to the House, some of which are in response to Spartz’s concerns. She told NBC News that she would vote yes on Johnson for speaker.
“I appreciate @SpeakerJohnson’s public commitment to the American people to deliver on President Trump’s agenda and drain the swamp,” she wrote.
She had been considered to be a possible no for Johnson.
Before the vote for speaker, Mike Johnson posted a list on X of things that he has committed to do in the new Congress if re-elected as speaker.
One of those things includes creating “a working group comprised of independent experts — not corrupted by lobbyists and special interests — to work with DOGE and our committees on implementing recommended government and spending reforms to protect the American taxpayer.”
Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency,” or DOGA, is not an official federal government agency but more of an independent commission, led by top Trump allies Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
This appears to be different from a subcommittee that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., has already been tasked with leading to coordinate with DOGE.
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., is set to become the longest-serving Black senator in U.S. history today.
Scott, who has served since 2013 and is the lone Black GOP senator in the chamber, will surpass former Sen. Edward Brooke, R-Mass., when he’s sworn in to his third term. (Brooke, who died in 2015, served two terms in the Senate, from 1967 to 1979.) Scott will be one of five Black senators in the 119th Congress, a record high.
The South Carolina Republican will also make history as the first Black chairman of a Senate standing committee, leading the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs committee. He served as the panel’s ranking member the past two years and first joined the committee in 2015.
Another first is on tap as well. Scott will be the first Black elected official to lead the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the campaign arm of Senate Republicans, since its founding in 1916.
“This Congress, I am thrilled to serve as the Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee,” Scott said in a statement. “My goal is simple: make America work for Americans.”
Johnson said he hopes to win this speaker race on the first ballot and believes he has the votes to do so.
“I have made no deals with anyone, and I’m very proud to say that,” he added.
Johnson told reporters he was willing to go through as many ballots as former Speaker Kevin McCarthy did (15).
“We have to get this job done and unify the conference, and I’m here for the long run,” said Johnson.
House Speaker Mike Johnson gavels in the first session of the 119th Congress.Mandel Ngan / AFP – Getty Images
The House is starting its quorum call now. This is a 15-minute vote by electronic device but in past years has taken 20-40 minutes. This will let us know how many members are present (which should be 434).
The Honorable Kevin F. McCumber, acting House clerk, is in the chair with the gavel. This is his first time presiding over the opening of the Congress.
After this, there will be nominations for speaker and then the speaker vote, which is done by voice.
The mood in the chamber is positive. It is packed with families up in the galleries and several children of members are on the floor sitting in the seats.
Johnson has been making the rounds in the chamber talking with members.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who holds the title of House speaker emerita, walked onto the House floor to applause from Democrats.
Several members hugged and embraced her.
This is her first time back at the Capitol since she fell last month during a congressional delegation trip to Luxembourg, which led to her being flown to Germany to undergo hip replacement surgery.
Two members of her detail were holding up her arms to support her as she walked to her seat.
And at 11:45:10, Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray, D-Wash., adjourned the Senate sine die, meaning the 118th Congress is over (at least on the Senate side of the building).
When they convene at noon, the 119th will begin, and newly elected or re-elected senators who won their elections in November will be sworn-in.
Vice President Kamala Harris will be in the Capitol to swear in the senators, first on the Senate floor in alphabetical order in groups of four, and then again just for the cameras in the Old Senate Chamber one by one for photo op re-enactments.
At the end of the day, Republicans will have the majority, but there will only be 99 senators. That’s because Sen-elect Jim Justice, currently the governor of West Virginia, won’t be sworn in right away, thanks to complications that would unfold if he were to leave his term before it ends Jan. 13.
The 118th Congress is preparing to adjourn one final time ahead of the 119th Congress beginning at noon.
Members have started coming into the chamber to stake out their seats. Families of members will be in the galleries up above to watch the proceedings.
House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., said in an interview on MSNBC that Democrats plan to vote for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., for speaker. The speaker doesn’t necessarily have to be from the party that holds the majority.
“We stand ready to vote for Hakeem Jeffries,” she said about the Democratic leader.
The final session of the 118th House has started with Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., presiding. They will adjourn and the new House will start at noon.
President-elect Donald Trump tapped multiple members of Congress for posts in his new administration, prompting the need for several special elections.
Reps. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., and Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., were selected as Trump’s picks to be national security adviser and the ambassador to the United Nations, respectively.
Stefanik needs to be confirmed by the Senate. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is required to schedule the date for a special election within 90 days of Stefanik’s departure from Congress.
The Florida secretary of state set the special general elections for Waltz seats for April 1, with the primaries taking place in late January.
Special elections on the state level are also on the books just days into the new year.
On Jan. 7, Virginians in Loudoun County will head to the polls for special state House and Senate elections. The outcomes of the state races will determine the control of the state legislature.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., told reporters this morning that he’s not aware of any other people who plan to vote against Johnson for speaker today.
Asked if he thinks there are any other “no” votes on Johnson for speaker, Scalise said, “I haven’t seen any directly. So you know, Mike’s been talking to everybody.”
Johnson continues to fight to keep his position as House speaker as the newly elected 119th Congress will be sworn in and is set to vote on who will fill the spot. At least one Republican has stated he will not be voting for Johnson’s re-election. NBC’s Garrett Haake reports for “TODAY.”
Johnson said this morning that he’s not going to make a deal with his rank-and-file members in order to secure their support for his election as speaker in the new Congress.
“I don’t make deals with anyone,” Johnson told reporters on Capitol Hill. “There’s no quid pro quo here. I don’t do anything in exchange for a vote other than commit to make this institution work as effectively and efficiently as possible.”
Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., had suggested on former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s show on America One News Network last night that Johnson should name conservative firebrand Chip Roy, R-Texas, as chairman of the House Rules Committee.
Trump just wished Johnson luck in the speaker vote today. The president-elect had publicly endorsed Johnson to continue serving in the leadership role.
“Good luck today for Speaker Mike Johnson, a fine man of great ability, who is very close to having 100% support,” Trump wrote.
Trump said, “A win for Mike today will be a big win for the Republican Party, and yet another acknowledgment of our 129 year most consequential Presidential Election!! — A BIG AFFIRMATION, INDEED. MAGA!”
Sen.-elect Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., said President-elect Donald Trump’s national security Cabinet picks might require more scrutiny following the terrorist attack in New Orleans.
Talking to reporters yesterday, Gallego was asked if Trump’s picks should be fast-tracked in the wake of the New Year’s Day terror attack. “I think in light of what you saw yesterday, we want to make sure that you have the right national security nominees,” he said. “Just putting someone in place doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re actually going to have the type of collaboration [and] intelligence sharing that you need.”
Gallego did not indicate how he plans to vote on Trump’s national security picks: Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence, Kash Patel for FBI director and Pete Hegseth for defense secretary.
Asked about Trump’s mass deportation plan, Gallego noted the specifics have yet to be unveiled, while adding that voters he spoke with on the campaign trail wanted guardrails on expelling migrants. “They want a certain type of illegal immigrants deported,” he said. “What I didn’t hear is, for family separations, and I didn’t hear about jailing kids or anything of that nature.”
Gallego, who is set to become Arizona’s first Latino senator, also reacted to Trump saying he would nominate Kari Lake to lead Voice Of America. “She’s got great experience in the media, I wish her well,” Gallego said of his Republican opponent in last year’s Senate race.
“I hope she has learned that misinformation is not appreciated by Americans,” he added in a jab against Lake, who for years denied that she lost her 2022 bid to become Arizona’s governor.
Reporting from Washington
While the House is expected to swear in all 434 of its members today, only the class of 32 newly elected or re-elected senators who won their elections in November will be sworn.
Vice President Kamala Harris will be in the Capitol to swear in the senators, first on the Senate floor in alphabetical order in groups of four, and then again just for the cameras in the Old Senate Chamber one-by-one for photo-ops.
At the end of the day, Republicans will have the majority, but there will only be 99 senators instead of 100. That’s because Sen.-elect Jim Justice, R-W.Va., won’t be sworn in today thanks to a quirk in how the governorship in West Virginia would be subject to a weird game of musical chairs if he were to leave his term before it ends Jan. 13.
Republicans enter the 119th Congress with little room for error in each chamber.
The 2024 election put Republicans on track to start the new Congress with a 53-47 majority in the Senate and a 220-215 advantage in the House.
However, Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., has since resigned from the House, and Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., was selected as national security adviser. If Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., is confirmed as ambassador to the United Nations, Republicans’ House majority could temporarily narrow even further, though special elections would be on the horizon for vacated seats.
Senate Republicans will need the support of Democrats to overcome the 60 votes needed to break the filibuster for most legislation. Only a simple majority is needed for administration posts.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., reiterated his staunch opposition to voting for Johnson during an appearance on former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s new show on the right-wing One America News Network.
“You can pull all my fingernails off, you can shove bamboo up them, you can start cutting off my fingers, I am not voting for Mike Johnson tomorrow,” Massie told Gaetz in an interview that aired last night. “And you can take that to the bank.”
Gaetz also spoke during last night’s broadcast with Reps. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., and Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., whose votes Johnson likely needs to retain his speakership.
Spartz said that while she remains open minded, she will not vote for Johnson unless she sees “concrete” changes from the speaker.
“As of right now, if we don’t have concrete commitment from Speaker Johnson, I’m not going to be supporting him tomorrow, but I’m open minded,” she said. “I’m going to talk to some other members, and hopefully we’ll connect with him later tonight or tomorrow morning and figure out if we can actually make real changes in this institution.”
Boebert said that she believes Johnson can retain his post if he commits to naming Chip Roy, R-Texas, as the chairman of the Rules Committee.
Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., faces what could be an uphill battle to maintain the speaker’s gavel, as some Republican members threaten his bid.
It would just take two Republican opponents in the new 119th Congress’ razor-thin majority to derail Johnson’s effort to retain speakership for two more years. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., began urging colleagues to reject Johnson’s bid ahead of the vote, which is scheduled for later today.
Johnson appeared to brush away concerns that his speakership was in jeopardy, telling NBC News yesterday that he expected to win on the first ballot.
“I hope so. That’s the plan,” Johnson said when asked about the upcoming vote.
Johnson has also said he met with Trump on New Year’s Day at the president-elect’s Florida club. Trump publicly boosted Johnson’s bid on his social media platform on Monday, saying Johnson had his “Complete & Total Endorsement” and that by keeping the speaker’s gavel, Johnson would help the Republican-controlled Congress implement his 2025 agenda.
Reporting from Washington
When the 119th Congress convenes today, the first agenda item for the House will be electing the speaker. For the past century, this was usually a straightforward process, with the majority party electing their speaker nominee on the first ballot. That changed two years ago when it took 15 ballots for now-former Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to secure the gavel.
While Mike Johnson, R-La., is in the chair now, his term as speaker expires when the current Congress adjourns this morning. Each new Congress is a fresh start and the speaker has to be elected again. To become speaker, a candidate needs the votes of a majority of members present, which will be 218 if all 434 members show up and vote.
The 20th Amendment mandates that Congress meets at noon on the third day of January. The House will not proceed to any other business, including swearing in lawmakers, until the speaker is chosen.
