Johnson Wins Reelection As Speaker After Initially Failing on First Ballot

House Speaker Mike Johnson initially failed to win reelection on the first ballot taken among the members of the 119th Congress on January 3. Johnson lost three Republican votes, from Kentucky’s Tom Massie, Keith Self of Texas, and South Carolina’s Ralph Norman. That’s two more than he could afford with his narrow majority.

But then, after extended direct negotiations with Johnson visible to both House members and C-Span viewers, Self and Norman...