As Representative Ralph Norman, a Republican from South Carolina, watches the voting for Speaker of the House, US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (2nd from L), a Republican from Louisiana, shakes hands with Representative Keith Self, a Republican from Texas.
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Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas) was one of three republicans who did not initially vote for Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) for speaker.
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Self said he spoke with President-elect Donald Trump before ultimately changing his vote to Johnson.
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Johnson was re-elected speaker on the first vote Friday.
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Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas) was one of three republicans who did not initially vote for Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) for speaker.
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Self said he spoke with President-elect Donald Trump before ultimately changing his vote to Johnson.
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Johnson was re-elected speaker on the first vote Friday.
WashingtonFollowing a phone call from President-elect Donald Trump, a Texas congressman decided to modify his vote for Speaker of the House on Friday, according to Fox News.
What We Know During the first session of the 119th Congress in the House of Representatives, Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas) was one of three Republicans who first cast their ballots for a candidate other than Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.).
During the roll call vote for speaker, Self, who represents the 3rd District of Texas, which includes the counties of Collinand and Hunt, first supported Byron Donalds (R-Fl.). Then, following the roll call vote but before it was ratified, Self and another Republican holdout, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), were spotted going into a room with Johnson and others.
After that, Self and Norman proceeded to the House and voted for Johnson, preventing a second vote and giving him the 218 votes he needed to become speaker.
President-elect Donald Trump apparently helped make the decision by calling both holdouts.
Their Statements: According to Fox News, Self told reporters he spoke with Trump on the phone many times on Friday.
“I talked to him a couple of times today,” Self stated. “We had a lively discussion.”
The congressman said on social media site X that his concerns about economic prudence were the reason behind the vote.
“My sole focus was advancing the Trump agenda,” Self stated. “To ensure this, I expressed concern to Speaker Johnson about fiscal responsibility and holding the line on deficit spending–key priorities for my constituents.”
He claimed that Johnson changed his vote after assuring him that Republicans would be well-represented throughout the budget reconciliation process.
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Fox News and the social media site X provided the information for this article.
Fox News and the social media site X provided the information for this article.
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