Congress set for super-close House Speaker vote

January 3, 2025 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., and the House Republican leadership head to a closed-door Republican strategy session as Johnson pushes towards separate votes on aid for Israel and Ukraine, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/AP

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – New members of Congress are being sworn in on Friday, Jan. 3, as the House of Representatives prepares to select its next leader, reports ABC News. U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana, the Republican current Speaker of the House, faces an uncertain path to victory following a rebellion from the furthest-right wing of his own party, combined with opposition from Democrats and a hair-thin majority in the lower body of Congress. President-elect Donald Trump has backed Johnson, and is reportedly campaigning on his behalf with reluctant hard-liners.

Johnson became Speaker in 2023 following the ouster of Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy and a highly contested nomination process, receiving 220 House votes to 209 for Democrat Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

New Congressmembers being sworn in today include Rep. George Latimer, a Democrat now representing parts of the Bronx and Westchester, who defeated incumbent Democrat Jamaal Bowman in the primary, and Rep. Laura Gillen, a Democrat now representing parts of Nassau County on Long Island, who defeated incumbent Republican Anthony D’Esposito in the general election.

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