The House is currently in the process of voting to elect its speaker, with Rep. Mike Johnson seeking to retain the position. However, Johnson is facing a challenging situation due to the narrowest House majority in almost a century, leaving little margin for error.
Backed by President-elect Donald Trump, Johnson's bid for speaker is complicated by the fact that he can only afford a single defection from the GOP ranks if every lawmaker is present and voting. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky has already declared that he will not be supporting Johnson.
In order to secure the position of speaker, a candidate must receive a majority of votes from all votes cast. With 435 members in the House, this means that a candidate needs at least 218 votes to win.
It is anticipated that there will be one vacant seat during the voting process, as former GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida has announced that he will not be taking the seat he was elected to in the new Congress. This leaves a total of 434 voting members, comprising 219 Republicans and 215 Democrats. Therefore, if all 434 members participate in the vote, a candidate will need to secure at least 218 votes to be elected as speaker.
