If the first vote for House Speaker is any indication, even though Representative Mike Johnson was reelected Friday to lead Congress, his trouble keeping the gavel may be far from over.
Johnson nearly failed to win the first vote, with Representatives Thomas Massie, Ralph Norman, and Keith Self voting for other candidates.
There were six additional Republican holdouts who declined to vote the first time around, including Representatives Andy Biggs, Michael Cloud, Andrew Clyde, Paul Gosar, and House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris. Eventually, each of those six swung for the Louisiana Republican—but the numbers are starting to add up on another problem.
Norman and Self changed their votes after speaking with Johnson on the House floor.
A new rule Congress is set to vote on as soon as a speaker is elected would raise the threshold for a motion to vacate. If the rule change is implemented, it would require a lawmaker from the majority party to be joined by eight other co-signers from that party to force a vote on removing the speaker.
Nine lawmakers united against the speaker, and they could choose to drop the trap door again anytime they please—so even though Johnson was reelected, his potential firing squad may be beginning to materialize.
This story has been updated.
