Rep. Mike Johnson will not be reelected as House Speaker in the first ballot after two Republican counterparts refrained from supporting him. South Carolina's Ralph Norman joined Thomas Massie in his rejection of Johnson, tanking his chances as the party's slim majority in the Lower House meant he could only afford to lose one vote.
Concretely, Massie voted for Tom Emmer, while Norman gave his support to Jim Jordan.
The development is a blow for President-elect Donald Trump, who has thrown his weight behind Johnson and had expressed confidence about his chances of being reelected. He said earlier on Friday that him winning would be a "big win for the Republican Party, and yet another acknowledgement of our 129 year most consequential Presidential Election."
Trump has said Johnson is the only Republican able to secure the speakership and showed willingness to pressure holdouts should that become necessary.
This is a story in development
