Colleagues of Speaker Mike Johnson observe that the famously strait-laced Republican does not drink or smoke, cuss, or fight. But he does gamble. That much was clear Friday.
Johnson told reporters ahead of the vote that he expected to win reelection “on the first round.” The confidence seemed premature, even like a bit of a bluff, especially as his right flank, members of his own party, threatened to sink him. He could only lose a single vote. Johnson refused to make side deals to secure votes. Nothing was certain.
And then Johnson won on the first ballot, exactly like he predicted, but not before a heavy dose of drama.
Nine Republicans initially abstained or voted against him. Potentially a sign of future trouble, it was the exact number required under current House rules to force a vote on “vacating the chair,” a parliamentary procedure to force a vote on ousting a sitting speaker. One by one, though, they changed their votes until only Reps. Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Keith Self of Texas held out.