# 2025 House Speaker election **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [December 27, 2024, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-house-speaker-election/1012245 "2024-12-27T23:24:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2024, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-house-speaker-election/1012245/21 "2024-12-28T19:08:49Z")
Slightly different take on MAGA/Republican Unity. They have near perfect unity _against_ anything Democrats want. Minus a few outliers in swing-ish states that will “reluctantly” compromise for the good of the nation. But _internally_ it’s a backbiting hatefest among them - as especially the modern MAGA each tries to score points against the rest for their endless grift and “fame”. So they are united on whom they _hate_ and willing to work together to hurt them, but they absolutely want to shiv their competitors when that’s not on the table. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2024, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-house-speaker-election/1012245/22 "2024-12-28T20:19:20Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > the majority of House members agree with a way forward Well, that’s the problem,.isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-house-speaker-election/1012245/23 "2024-12-30T05:44:46Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > If there is one thing repugs are good at it is keeping members in line and voting as a block. We saw in the teens any repug who refused to toe-the-line got primaried out of office. Not in the last few speaker elections. > [@Smapti](#): > > The members of the House cannot be sworn in until a Speaker has been elected. The votes cannot be counted “in the presence of the House” if the House is in a state of abeyance, therefore the certification cannot take place. Yeah, that wont work. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-house-speaker-election/1012245/24 "2024-12-30T05:47:29Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yeah, that wont work. These guys think it might. > **[Republicans fear Speaker battle means they "can't certify the election"](https://www.newsweek.com/republicans-fear-speaker-battle-cant-certify-election-2005510)** > > Some Republicans are urging President-elect Donald Trump to reaffirm his support for Speaker Mike Johnson. > [@](#): > > Representative Carlos Gimenez, a Florida Republican, told Fox News Digital: “If we have some kind of protracted fight where we can’t elect a speaker—the speaker’s not elected; we’re not sworn in. And if we’re not sworn in, we can’t certify the election.” > > Representative Claudia Tenney, a New York Republican, told the outlet: “To ensure President Trump can take office and hit the ground running on January 20, we must be able to certify the 2024 election on January 6. However, without a speaker, we cannot complete this process.” ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-house-speaker-election/1012245/25 "2024-12-30T05:50:07Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Not in the last few speaker elections. As has been mentioned…they are great at opposing all things Democrats do. They are less good at agreeing which one of them should have power. Shocker, I know. Who’d have guessed? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-house-speaker-election/1012245/26 "2024-12-30T05:54:43Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Representative Carlos Gimenez, a Florida Republican, This says it all. 🤪 ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-house-speaker-election/1012245/27 "2024-12-30T16:02:41Z")
Trump endorsed Johnson for Speaker this morning in a Truth Social post. This is sure to get almost all of the Republicans on board, but it only takes two anti-Johnson Republicans to forestall his reelection. > **[Trump endorses Johnson in speaker’s race | CNN Politics](https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/30/politics/trump-endorses-johnson-in-speakers-race/index.html)** > > President-elect Donald Trump endorsed Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday ahead of the new Congress convening to elect a speaker. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-house-speaker-election/1012245/28 "2024-12-30T18:00:26Z")
The anti Johnson republicans were all hard MAGA, Trump endorsing him makes his election a sure thing. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-house-speaker-election/1012245/29 "2024-12-30T20:53:56Z")
I bet it doesnt. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2024, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-house-speaker-election/1012245/30 "2024-12-31T01:00:55Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > The members of the House cannot be sworn in until a Speaker has been elected. The votes cannot be counted “in the presence of the House” if the House is in a state of abeyance, therefore the certification cannot take place. Er, if members of the House cannot be sworn in until a Speaker has been elected, then who elects the Speaker? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2024, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-house-speaker-election/1012245/31 "2024-12-31T01:07:17Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > if members of the House cannot be sworn in until a Speaker has been elected, then who elects the Speaker? Hey, I didn’t make the rules. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2024, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-house-speaker-election/1012245/32 "2024-12-31T01:15:19Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > Er, if members of the House cannot be sworn in until a Speaker has been elected, then who elects the Speaker? Let’s add to the confusion. 2 USC 25 > At the first session of Congress after every general election of Representatives, the oath of office shall be administered by any Member of the House of Representatives to the Speaker; and by the Speaker to all the Members and Delegates present. So a member swears in the Speaker who then swears in the member making them a member? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2024, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-house-speaker-election/1012245/33 "2024-12-31T01:57:22Z")
I’m late to this thread but I don’t think that anyone has mentioned this yet. If any Republicans vote Present instead of an alternate candidate to Johnson, it changes the math. Their vote doesn’t count towards the total when computing what the majority would be. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2024, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-house-speaker-election/1012245/34 "2024-12-31T02:04:53Z")
> **[There are no official members of the House until a speaker is sworn in](https://www.verifythis.com/article/news/verify/government-verify/united-states-house-of-representatives-speaker-oath-swear-in-fact-check/536-07e2ace3-8d8b-4ae8-ad8f-59d31f5b92d7)** > > Members of the U.S. House of Representatives cannot be sworn in, engage in floor proceedings or introduce legislation until a speaker is elected. _“The House must take these actions at the beginning of each new Congress because it is not a continuing body,” the CRS report says._ _On the opening day of a new Congress, which usually convenes at noon on Jan. 3, the House typically follows a “well-established routine,” according to the CRS report. These proceedings include electing and swearing in the House speaker, swearing in members, electing and swearing in administrative officers, and adopting rules of procedure and various administrative resolutions._ _“After the speaker is elected, the member with the longest continuous service (the Dean of the House) administers the oath to the speaker,” according to the [U.S. House of Representatives History, Art & Archives website](https://history.house.gov/Institution/Origins-Development/Oath-of-Office/). “The speaker, in turn, administers the oath to the rest of the members en masse.”_ _But if no speaker is chosen, incoming House members cannot take [an oath](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title5/part3/subpartB/chapter33/subchapter2&edition=prelim) or be sworn in on the House floor, according to the [U.S. Code of Law](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title2-section25&num=0&edition=prelim), which reads:_ **“At the first session of Congress after every general election of Representatives, the oath of office shall be administered by any Member of the House of Representatives to the Speaker; and by the Speaker to all the Members and Delegates present, and to the Clerk, previous to entering on any other business; and to the Members and Delegates who afterward appear, previous to their taking their seats.”** ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2024, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-house-speaker-election/1012245/35 "2024-12-31T02:09:12Z")
Also in 2 USC 25, the Speaker swears in the Clerk … but the Clerk runs the election for Speaker. So I think that the precedent is that as of noon January 3rd that they are members and have limited powers until being sworn in so it is not unreasonable that one of these powers would be to certify the electoral vote. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2024, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-house-speaker-election/1012245/36 "2024-12-31T02:15:25Z")
If only I had quoted the law earlier. Also, I do not see anywhere **in the Constitution** where a member of Congress must be sworn into office before performing their duties (if I’m wrong tell me where it is). So to declare they must would be unconstitutional as federal law cannot add to the requirements of the office. I.E. despite what 2 USC 25 says, they are full members of Congress at noon January 3rd. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2024, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-house-speaker-election/1012245/37 "2024-12-31T02:15:35Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > in so it is not unreasonable that one of these powers would be to certify the electoral vote. If they have limited powers then one of their powers is one of the most sweeping and impactful powers they could possibly have? Color me confused. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2024, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-house-speaker-election/1012245/38 "2024-12-31T02:17:02Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > If they have limited powers then one of their powers is one of the most sweeping and impactful powers they could possibly have? > > Color me confused. See above what I ninja’d you with. I do not believe that constitutionally members of Congress need to be sworn in and “limited” powers is a traditional fiction. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2024, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-house-speaker-election/1012245/39 "2024-12-31T02:18:24Z")
Hmm. It will be an exciting day in US history. Beyond that everything behind every interpretation seems to be smoke and tradition. You may well be right. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2024, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-house-speaker-election/1012245/40 "2024-12-31T02:22:43Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > I do not believe that constitutionally members of Congress need to be sworn in and “limited” powers is a traditional fiction. The Constitution states that “Each House may determine the rules of its proceedings”, so if the rules of the House say they must be sworn in, then they must be sworn in. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-house-speaker-election/1012245.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-house-speaker-election/1012245.md?page=3)