WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker mike johnson He begins the grueling battle for the gavel, a weeks-long campaign that begins Wednesday during the House Republican leadership elections and will establish new centers of power in Congress for a time to come. Washington is dominated by President-elect Donald Trump.

Johnson and his entire leadership team are working behind the scenes to keep the business running. Although Johnson does not have a serious opponent, he does have a situation to face. opposition within their own ranksEspecially as far-right conservatives and the Freedom Caucus withdrew their votes as leverage to obtain forward-looking promises.

Speaker expected to host Embers before voting, presenting a united front.

“This leadership will move quickly to implement President Trump’s agenda,” Johnson said on the Capitol steps as lawmakers returned to Washington on Tuesday.

It was a remarkable political journey for Johnson, the accidental speaker who emerged as the last and best choice to replace the ousted former speaker. Kevin McCarthy more than a year ago and quickly set course during the election, positioning himself alongside Trump and leading Republicans.

As Johnson said, Trump is the “coach” and he is the “quarterback” as the GOP team prepares to run games in the new year.

Johnson embraces Trump’s agenda mass deportations, tax cuts, the hollowing out of the federal workforce, and a stronger U.S. image abroad. Together they are working on what the speaker called an “ambitious” 100-day agenda, hoping to avoid the mistakes of Trump’s first term, when Congress was unprepared and “precious time” was wasted.

“We’ll be ready from day one,” Johnson said.

Johnson, with Trump in the White House and expecting to lead the House of Representatives with a unified government Republicans take over the Senate The House majority is expected to remain narrowly divided, although control of the House remains undecided as it is still too early to decide on the final races, especially in California.

But the problems that come with a slim House majority and Johnson’s own ranks constantly revolting against his plans in his first year as president will likely spill over into the new year, with a potential new term. chaotic management.

Johnson needs an absolute majority in Wednesday’s closed vote to win the GOP nomination and become speaker. But when the new Congress convenes and elects the president on January 3, he will need the support of a majority of the entire House (218 votes) to actually take the gavel. It took McCarthy some time 15 rounds of voting In a week-long election to win the gavel in 2023.

Trump further complicated Johnson’s problems and further reduced his numbers by appointing House Republicans to his administration. Some Republicans want the House leadership elections to be delayed until control of the House is fully settled.

Still, with Trump in the White House, the speaker may see some goodwill from his own ranks for a while, as Republicans are eager to disrupt governing norms and institutionalize Trump’s second-term agenda.

Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., a Freedom Caucus member, said of Johnson: “The challenges he faces are the same as they always have been.”

But he said: “It will be easier for Trump to deliver while he’s in office.”

The Conservatives are debating whether to nominate their own candidate as a signal to Johnson while pushing his own priorities, using the same tactic they used with McCarthy to force the speaker to concede, especially on higher budget cuts.

As Johnson begins the budget process for next year, including using the so-called budget reconciliation process that makes it easier for the unified government to deliver Trump’s agenda to the House and Senate with simple majority votes, conservatives want him to fill those packages with packages of his own. their own policy priorities.

Democrats, who have helped Johnson many times in Congress by providing the votes needed to fund the federal government and defeat Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s effort to impeach him, are unlikely to help him in the new year.

“The voters voted for them,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. “Let’s see what they do.”

On Wednesday, not only will the presidential election be held, but Republicans will also determine their lead in the down ballot.

Majority Leader Steve Scalise, also of Louisiana, and GOP Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota are expected to be re-elected for leadership.

The No. 4 position, House GOP conference chair, became the most controversial position with Trump’s decision to appoint New York Rep. Elise Stefanik as ambassador to the United Nations. His departure led to the mandate being contested by many GOP lawmakers.

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Associated Press writers Kevin Freking and Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report.

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