Skip to content
RollCall logo

Podcasts

GOP’s fragile majority

CQ Budget, Episode No. 337

Speaker Mike Johnson, center, appears in the House chamber on Friday with vote flippers Ralph Norman, second from right, center, and Keith Self, far right, who were critical to his election.
Speaker Mike Johnson, center, appears in the House chamber on Friday with vote flippers Ralph Norman, second from right, center, and Keith Self, far right, who were critical to his election. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
By David Lerman and Jim Saksa
Posted January 6, 2025 at 4:46pm

The election of Speaker Mike Johnson for another term underscored how difficult it will be for Republicans to govern with a razor-thin majority. CQ Roll Call’s Jim Saksa and David Lerman recount what it took for Johnson to win the gavel and explain what it may mean for the legislative battles to come.

Show Notes:

Recent Stories

Capitol Lens | Pipes of peace

From left, former Reps. Mike Kopetski, D-Ore., Jane Harman, D-Calif., Charlie Dent, R-Pa., Tim Roemer, D-Ind., Larry Bucshon, R-Ind., and Susan Brooks, R-Ind., sing "God Bless America" on the House steps of the Capitol in remembrance of the 25th anniversary of 9/11 on Friday.

Former House members reflect on 25th anniversary of Sept. 11 attacks

President Donald Trump exits the stage after speaking Wednesday at the Republican midterm convention at the American Airlines Center in downtown Dallas.

‘Tired of politics’: By GOP convention’s end, even Trump had tapped out

RNC Chairman Joe Gruters opens Day Two of the Republican midterm convention at the American Airlines Center in downtown Dallas on Thursday. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

‘He’s not going away’: GOP loyalists not ready for Trump to leave political stage

A memorial to the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk is seen at the Republican midterm convention at the American Airlines Center in downtown Dallas on Thursday, the anniversary of Kirk’s assassination. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Roll Call on the Road: Day Two in Dallas

The Capitol dome is seen through a window in the Cannon House Office Building. In June, the House adopted a resolution demanding more information on what some members have dubbed the “slush fund.”

Taxpayers spent more than $500,000 on House sexual harassment payouts