On the first ballot, Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Michael Cloud (R-TX), Andrew Clyde (R-GA), Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Andy Harris (R-MD) and Chip Roy (R-R-TX) all withheld their votes and Thomas Massie (R-KY), Ralph Norman (R-SC) and Keith Self (R-TX) voted for various candidates, appearing to guarantee that MAGA Mike would not be elected on the first round. When they were called again at the end of the balloting, Biggs, Cloud, Clyde Gosar, Harris and Roy all woosed-out and voted for MAGA Mike.
After kicking up a fuss all week, crazy Victoria Spartz (R-IN) had announced she would vote for MM even before voting began. On Matt Gaetz’ OANN show’s debut last night, Massie had announced something very different: “You can pull all my fingernails out, you can shove bamboo up in them. You can start cutting off my fingers, I am not voting for Mike Johnson.”
Then, after a half hour count, Norman changed his vote to Johnson as did Self, giving MAGA Mike the first ballot win:
Johnson- 218
Jeffries- 215
Tom Emmer- 1
You’ll note that under the new rules, it takes 9 members to oust a sitting speaker. There were 9 members who sent a signal by withholding their votes of voting for someone else that if he steps too far out of line, they’ll dump him. But mostly… much ado about not much at all. Trump will be running the House.
Scalise clearly wants to stay in the running if and when Johnson stumbles:
" House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) cited diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives that he says have blurred the focus of law enforcement agents hired to keep the country safe while discussing what caused the Wednesday New Orleans attack.
“Some of these agencies have gotten so wrapped up in the DEI movement. You know, call it wokeness, call it whatever you want,” Scalise said during a Thursday interview with WWL Radio.
“But where their main focus is on diversity and inclusion as opposed to security. And they’re two very different things. And we’ve got to get back to that core mission.” ..."
Leave no mass…