Johnson clinches GOP speaker nomination — but the real test looms in January

Mike Johnson clinched the internal GOP nod to serve as speaker again. But he’s not in the clear yet — the true test is a formal vote on the House floor in January, where he’ll have almost no room for error.

House Republicans voted unanimously Wednesday to make Johnson their speaker nominee, according to three people in the room. The Louisiana Republican has been shoring up support for months, crisscrossing the country to campaign for his colleagues, and the party is expected to hold onto House control by a slim margin.

Johnson and House Freedom Caucus members brokered a deal ahead of the vote: No amendments to punish members who block procedural votes, in exchange for a nine-member motion to vacate threshold, according to two Republicans with knowledge of the matter.

The speaker was widely expected to clear the simple majority threshold required in the private conference meeting, despite conservative complaints about how he handled spending and other issues during his first year with the gavel. It’s a problem that will become more relevant for the floor vote on Jan. 3, when the 218-vote threshold means he likely can’t afford to lose more than a handful of GOP members.

He did, however, get a significant boost with incoming President Donald Trump endorsing his continued speakership during a closed-door conference meeting hours before Wednesday’s leadership vote. Trump’s landslide win has given him an even tighter grip on the conference, and any GOP lawmakers who oppose Johnson could risk not only the ire of their colleagues but also of the leader of their party.

Still, Johnson’s critics haven’t given up yet. Conservatives have repeatedly felt burnt by deals Johnson cut on issues like government funding over the past year. And some of them have controversial demands about conference rules, including keeping the threshold for triggering a vote to boot the speaker at one person, that they say are essential for earning their votes. They are also publicly calling on Johnson to squash a push from his centrists, which was first reported by POLITICO, to punish members who vote against bringing GOP bills to the floor.

Plus, some are also waiting to see if the upcoming government spending deadline that is set just before Christmas will give them extra leverage.

Meredith Lee Hill contributed to this report.