Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) will get a big gavel after his fellow Republicans voted to re-elect him as House speaker Friday afternoon.
Johnson, who has been publicly endorsed by President-elect Donald Trump, had to convince two of his fellow Republicans, Rep. Ralph Norman, but was able to get the minimum 218 votes he needed to win in the first round. Rep. (R-South Carolina) and Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas) – who initially voted for another candidate changed their vote to vote for him.
With Republicans having razor-thin control of the House, Johnson could afford to lose just one vote to Rep. Thomas Massey (R-Ky.). Massie’s “no” vote is not surprising. He previously told former lawmaker Matt Gaetz that he would literally endure torture before voting for Johnson. Instead, Massie voted for Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), majority leader and longtime supporter of the cryptocurrency industry. Emmer voted for Johnson.
Friday’s voting process – the first at the start of the 119th Parliament – took just 2.5 hours in total, a much faster and more streamlined process than the previous election in October 2023, when Johnson was first elected.
Johnson has not been very outspoken on cryptocurrency issues, but he is widely seen as a friend of the industry. He previously voted for the 21st Century Financial Innovation and Technology Act (commonly known as FIT21) and the Anti-Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) bill.
Johnson’s re-election and Emmer’s continued majority whip status mean that cryptocurrency-friendly members of Congress are well-positioned to push for cryptocurrency legislation in 2025.