The latest on the House speaker vote
- Republicans this evening nominated Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana to be House speaker.
- Johnson won the nomination just hours after previous nominee Tom Emmer of Minnesota dropped out when it became clear he could not secure the 217 votes needed to win the gavel in a House floor vote.
- Emmer had defeated Johnson and several other candidates earlier in the day.
- A nominee must secure 217 votes on the House floor to be elected, which has proved difficult. There are just 221 Republicans in the House, and conservative and moderate factions have been divided over who should be the leader after Kevin McCarthy was ousted.
- The House is scheduled to reconvene at noon tomorrow. Johnson said he intends to seek a floor vote.
Coverage on this live blog has ended. Follow the latest updates from NBC News here.
Johnson says no one voted against him in roll call gauging floor support
Johnson told reporters tonight that there "were no votes against" him in the roll call vote that's meant to measure support for a possible House floor vote.
He did acknowledge, however, that there were some absences. He said he would work with those lawmakers tonight.
Johnson says he plans to seek House floor vote at noon tomorrow
After he won the GOP nomination for the speaker's gavel, Johnson told reporters tonight that his intention is to go to the House floor at noon tomorrow to "make this official."
He will need 217 votes to win.
Here's the vote tally from the final round
The vote totals for the final round of voting were as follows:
- 128 for Johnson
- 29 for Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla.
- 44 for "other"
Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., told NBC News that 43 of the "other" votes were for former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and one was for Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.
Johnson wins GOP nomination
GOP conference chair Elise Stefanik of New York posted on X that Johnson was just voted speaker-designate.
Voting on third ballot is underway
GOP conference chair Elise Stefanik of New York posted on X that a third ballot has begun, with two remaining candidates: Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida and Mike Johnson of Louisiana.
Reps. Mark Green and Roger Williams were eliminated in the second round.
The results of second ballot were as follows, according to Rep. Dan Meuser:
- 97 for Johnson
- 34 for "other"
- 31 for Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida
- 21 for Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee
- 20 for Rep. Roger Williams of Texas
- 3 voted present
Green dropped out and Williams was eliminated, according to three sources familiar with the vote.
Chuck Fleischmann out in speaker's race
Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., is no longer in the running for nomination.
He was eliminated in the first round of voting.
GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik of New York announced on X that a second ballot is underway with four candidates: Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida, Mark Green of Tennessee, Mike Johnson of Louisiana and Roger Williams of Texas.
Johnson gets the most votes on first ballot
The results of the first ballot are as follows, according to Rep. Dan Meuser:
- Rep. Mike Johnson 85
- Rep. Byron Donalds 32
- Rep Mark Green 23
- Rep. Roger Williams 21
- Rep. Chuck Fleischmann 10 (eliminated)
At least 30 lawmakers did not vote for any candidate.
The conference has now moved to a second ballot.
Voting underway on first ballot
Voting is underway on tonight's first secret ballot, according to Reps. Austin Scott of Georgia and Dan Crenshaw of Texas.
House Republicans are voting behind closed doors.
Tim Scott pitches Newt Gingrich as temporary fix for speaker
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., pitched Newt Gingrich as a possible candidate for speaker.
"The House needs to get their act in order," Scott, a Republican candidate for president, said tonight during an appearance on iHeart’s Des Moines, Iowa-based “Simon Conway” show.
"It is embarrassing, and it’s going to cost us, if this continues, it will cost us in 2024," he said before he pitched the idea that, as a temporary solution, the House would be "better off" selecting a speaker who’s not in the chamber.
"Take someone like Newt Gingrich, put ’em in the position for three months, get the rest of the conference together, figure out who they’re willing to vote for, and then put a permanent speaker in place," Scott said.
Gingrich, a former Republican congressman from Georgia, was House speaker from 1995 to 1999.
Roger Williams announces speaker bid
Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, formally announced his bid for speaker after he was named by GOP conference chair Elise Stefanik in a tweet tonight as one of six Republicans running after Emmer dropped out.
“We are now in the fight of our lives, to save our country, and I believe our country requires someone who will stand up to the Biden Administration, who will bring conservatives together, and put America first!" Williams said in a statement.
He touted his efforts in Congress to cut taxes, secure the U.S.-Mexico border and fight regulations that he said hindered small businesses.
"For over 52 years, I have run a successful small business back home in Weatherford, Texas, where I have seen how the strong hand of the government hurts all Americans. It is time a conservative businessman stands up to put the country back on track," Williams said.