Johnson has failed to secure a majority of votes on the first ballot

Speaker of the House, Republican Mike Johnson fell short in his bid to retain the top post in the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday.

With voting still ongoing, at least three Republicans voted against Johnson, likely leaving the incumbent House speaker short of the majority he needs to remain in the job.

Republicans control the chamber by a razor-thin 219-215 majority. According to the "time-freezing" rules of the American Congress, members still had a chance to change their vote or to cast a vote if they had abstained. 

House Republicans have been defined by internal divisions over the last two years. Johnson was elevated to speaker after the party ousted Kevin McCarthy mid-term.
The House went through 15 rounds of voting over four days in 2023 before finally electing McCarthy speaker.

The conservative Christian lawyer Louisiana representative emerged as a consensus pick, but has since struggled to keep his party unified

Ahead of the vote, Johnson - arguiably the most conservative Speaker of the House in modern American history - said he would keep trying if he fell short on the first round of balloting. .So far, no other Republican has publicly hinted at challenging Johnson for the role.

Johnson has sought to build a close relationship with President-elect Donald Trump, who endorsed him on Monday following weeks of uncertainty.

"A win for Mike today will be a big win for the Republican Party," Trump posted online on Friday. Trump returns to the White House on Inauguration Day, January 20th.