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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson<\/strong> held onto his job<\/a> on Friday, securing enough votes from his Republican colleagues<\/a> to be reelected in one round. It\u2019s an abbreviated journey for Johnson, compared to the fifteen rounds that his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy<\/strong>, endured to become speaker.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we\u2019re proposing now is just simply, as President Trump likes to say, a \u2018return to common sense,\u2019 and he\u2019s exactly right,\u201d Johnson said in his acceptance speech<\/a> in front of the 119th Congress. In his address, he promised to go after \u201cillegal aliens,\u201d bolster the military, and give more power to parents to define their children\u2019s education, amongst other goals. \u201cI am very thankful, personally, that this body is filled with men and women who are committed to that change, to return to common sense. We can do this together, we should.\u201d<\/p>\n Johnson\u2019s win comes after a coordinated push from President-elect Donald Trump<\/strong> and his allies to secure a vote in the incumbent\u2019s favor. In late December, Trump endorsed<\/a> Johnson for the role, referring to him as a \u201cgood, hard working, religious man\u201d in a Truth Social post<\/a> that included references to Beyonc\u00e9<\/strong>, Reverend Al Sharpton<\/strong>, and unsubstantiated claims of large-scale voter fraud in the 2024 election. Trump celebrated<\/a> Johnson\u2019s Friday win on Truth Social, too, writing that \u201cMike will be a Great Speaker, and our Country will be the beneficiary.\u201d<\/p>\n Representative Thomas Massie<\/strong> of Kentucky was the only Republican who voted against Johnson in the final tally. Though, initially, nine Republicans abstained or voted against Johnson. One by one, they changed their votes. Along with Massie, two other Republican members still weren\u2019t sure\u2014Representatives Ralph Norman<\/strong> of South Carolina and Keith Self<\/strong> of Texas.<\/p>\n For almost an hour, as RealClearPolitics reported<\/a>, \u201cthose two Republicans seemed like they were about to hamstring the leader of their own conference. When a second ballot seemed imminent, South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace<\/strong> dialed the president-elect on her cellphone.\u201d<\/p>\n