Report: GOP Reps. Self, Norman Changed Speaker Votes to Johnson After Trump Reached Out

Reps. Keith Self (R-TX) and Ralph Norman (R-SC) switched their votes for Speaker of the House in favor of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) after President-elect Donald Trump reached out to them, per a report.

Self initially voted for Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) to be Speaker, marking the lone vote for the Florida congressman, while Norman backed Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH). Having already lost the support of Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Johnson’s bid on the first ballot would have been torpedoed if either Self or Norman stood by their votes for other members.

According to Punchbowl News Founder Jake Sherman, the congressmen changed their votes in favor of Johnson while the first ballot was still open after Trump “weighed in” with them.

“DONALD TRUMP weighed in with Reps. RALPH NORMAN and KEITH SELF after they voted against MIKE JOHNSON’S bid for speaker,” Sherman wrote. “Self and Norman voted for johnson after that.”

Johnson initially garnered 216 votes on the first ballot, and 215 members voted for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), while Massie, Norman, and Self voted for others. However, after the reported conversation with Trump, Norman and Self put Johnson over the 218-vote threshold he needed for the gavel.

While Johnson has retained the speakership, it seems Massie, Norman, Self, and six other Republicans who withheld their Johnson votes until the end of the ballot sent a message to Johnson Friday. One major change from the 118th Congress is the upping of the threshold needed to trigger a motion to vacate, which is the mechanism members can use to remove a speaker.

In the 118th Congress, a single member could trigger a motion to vacate, while the number has been raised to nine in the 119th Congress, making it far more challenging to force a floor vote. However, the eight apparently reluctant votes and Massie’s anti-Johnson vote show a degree of influence among these members and that they have the numbers to unite in opposition to Johnson if they desire.

Trump congratulated Johnson after he won the gavel.