Before the new Congress can do anything (including certifying Donald J. Trump as the winner of the 2024 presidential election), the House must elect a speaker. Voting is scheduled for Friday.
The election of the Speaker takes place before newly elected members are sworn in and must be resolved before any other issues are resolved.
Around noon, lawmakers gathered in the House chamber and leaders from each party nominated their candidates. Republicans are expected to nominate House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana as the next speaker, while Democrats plan to field Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York as their leader.
The House Clerk then proceeds to an alphabetical roll call vote, with each member responding by name. It could be Mr. Johnson, Mr. Jeffries, or any name, including someone who is not a member, if the member wishes to submit a protest vote.
The election criteria is a majority of those present and voting, or 218 if all 435 members of the House of Representatives participate. However, vacancies and absenteeism can complicate calculations.
With the resignation of former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, Republicans will now hold a total of 219 seats and Democrats will hold 215 seats. That means Mr. Johnson would be allowed to lose just one Republican vote if all members were present and voted.
Mr Johnson could still win the chairman's seat even if he lacks majority support. He could persuade members who oppose him to “present” and vote rather than nominate someone else, or he could simply “take a walk” and miss the vote altogether. .
That's not unusual. Two years ago, Kevin McCarthy won the gavel on the 15th ballot with just 216 votes. In 2015, John Boehner was elected speaker with 216 votes, and Nancy Pelosi was elected speaker in 2021.
