Mike Johnson came up short in his bid to remain speaker on the first ballot.
Reps. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Keith Self (R-Texas) voted against Johnson in the alphabetical roll call vote. Johnson can only afford to lose one GOP vote and still reclaim the gavel, meaning he needs to flip at least two of those members in subsequent ballots and not lose any other support.
About a dozen other Republicans who were undecided going into the vote opted to back Johnson, including Reps. Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Michael Cloud (Texas), Andy Harris (Md.), Andrew Clyde (Ga.), Chip Roy (Texas) and Paul Gosar (Ariz.).
Johnson has waged an aggressive pressure campaign to try to earn the support of several conservatives who were publicly undecided headed into the vote. President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly endorsed Johnson, including most recently on Friday morning. He’s also indicated to members that he would be unhappy if a speakership fight delayed his agenda.
Balloting will continue until a speaker is elected, but the chamber is essentially frozen until then. If members don’t wrap up voting by Monday, it could complicate efforts to officially certify Trump’s presidential win.
Democrats hung together to deny Johnson a lifeline, with all of them voting for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.