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U.S. House leadership elections, 2025
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U.S. House leadership elections, 2021 U.S. House leadership elections, 2019 |
This page covers U.S. House leadership elections for the 119th Congress. Each party elects leadership responsible for leading the party's conference, setting legislative agendas, marshaling support for bills, and directing committee assignments, among other duties.[1]
The speaker of the House, who presides over sessions of the chamber and is second in the line of presidential succession, is typically elected on the first day the new Congress convenes. Other leadership positions are elected in meetings of the conference prior to the start of a new Congress.[1]
The 119th Congress convened on January 3, 2025. Mike Johnson (R-La.) was re-elected speaker 218-215 in the first round of voting.
Speaker of the House
The speaker of the House is typically elected on the first day the new Congress convenes. According to the Congressional Research Service, "The long-standing practice of the House is that electing a Speaker requires a numerical majority of the votes cast by Members 'for a person by name.' This does not mean that an individual must necessarily receive a majority of the full membership of the House, because some Members may not be present to vote (or may instead answer 'present')." If a candidate is not selected on the first vote, the vote is repeated until a speaker is selected.[2] At the start of the 119th Congress, if every member of House voted for a candidate by name, then a candidate needed 218 votes to win the speakership.
The U.S. House held its regularly scheduled election for speaker of the House at the start of the 119th Congress on January 3, 2025. No candidate received a majority of votes in the initial tally of the first round of voting. Mike Johnson (R-La.) had 216 votes, Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) had 215, and Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), and Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) each had one vote.
Before the vote was closed, Reps. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) and Keith Self (R-Texas) changed their votes to Johnson from Donalds and Jordan, respectively. The final tally was 218 votes for Johnson, 215 votes for Jeffries, and one vote for Emmer.
| Roll call votes for speaker of the House overview, January 2025 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | Mike Johnson (R-La.) | Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) | Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) | Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) | Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) | Present | ||||
| First round (initial tally) | 216 | 215 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| First round (final tally) | 218 (+2) | 215 | 1 | 0 (-1) | 0 (-1) | 0 | ||||
Detailed vote totals
Expand the tabs below to see more detail on each round of voting.
Speaker of the House elections decided by multiple ballots
The table below lists all speaker of the House elections decided by multiple ballots.
| Speaker of the House elections decided by multiple ballots, 1793-2025 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Congress | Name | Number of ballots | |
| 118th Congress (2023-2025) | Mike Johnson | 4 | |
| 118th Congress (2023-2025) | Kevin McCarthy | 15 | |
| 68th Congress (1923–1925) | Frederick Huntington Gillett | 9 | |
| 36th Congress (1859–1861) | William Pennington | 44 | |
| 34th Congress (1855–1857) | Nathaniel Prentice Banks | 133 | |
| 31st Congress (1849–1851) | Howell Cobb | 63 | |
| 30th Congress (1847–1849) | Robert Charles Winthrop | 3 | |
| 26th Congress (1839–1841) | Robert Mercer Taliaferro Hunter | 11 | |
| 23rd Congress (1833–1835) | John Bell | 10 | |
| 19th Congress (1825–1827) | John W. Taylor | 2 | |
| 17th Congress (1821–1823) | Philip Pendelton Barbour | 12 | |
| 16th Congress (1819–1821) | John W. Taylor | 22 | |
| 11th Congress (1809–1811) | Joseph Bradley Varnum | 2 | |
| 9th Congress (1805–1807) | Nathaniel Macon | 3 | |
| 6th Congress (1799–1801) | Theodore Sedgwick | 2 | |
| 3rd Congress (1793–1795) | Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg | 3 | |
Democratic leadership
Democratic leadership elections for the 119th Congress took place on November 19, 2024.[4]
The following representatives were elected to leadership positions in the 119th Congress:
- Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), minority leader: Jeffries was re-elected without opposition.[5]
- Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), minority whip: Clark was re-elected without opposition.[6]
- Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), Democratic Caucus chairman: Aguilar was re-elected without opposition.[7]
- Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), assistant leader: Neguse was elected without opposition.[8]
Republican leadership
Republican leadership elections for the 119th Congress took place on November 13, 2024.[9]
The following representatives were elected to leadership positions in the 119th Congress:
- Steve Scalise (R-La.), majority leader: Scalise was re-elected without opposition.[10]
- Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), Republican Conference chairwoman: McClain defeated Kat Cammack (R-Fla.). Click here to read more about this election.
- Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), Republican Policy Committee chairman: Hern defeated incumbent Chairman Gary Palmer (R-Ala.). Click here to read more about this election.
- Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), National Republican Congressional Committee chairman: Hudson was re-elected without opposition.[12]
Republican Conference chair
Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) defeated Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) in the election for Republican Conference chair at the Republican leadership elections on November 13, 2024. McClain received 146 votes, Cammack received 67 votes, and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who did not declare candidacy for the race, received one vote.[13]
Rep. Erin Houchin (R-Ind.) withdrew from the race on November 12 and endorsed McClain.[14][15]
Donald Trump (R), the projected winner of the 2024 presidential election, announced on November 11, 2024, that he had selected incumbent Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) to serve as U.N. Ambassador, meaning she would vacate her seat in the U.S. House and not run for re-election as conference chair.[16]
Republican Policy Committee chair
Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) defeated incumbent Republican Policy Committee Chairman Gary Palmer (R-Ala.) in the Republican leadership elections on November 13, 2024. Hern received 111 votes to Palmer's 91, and one representative voted for Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), who did not declare candidacy for the race.[17]
Process
According to the Congressional Research Service (CRS), leaders in the United States House of Representatives are typically "elected by the [minority or majority] party caucus or conference at organizational meetings prior to the start of a new Congress." Candidates for leadership positions must receive a simple majority vote within their caucus or conference in order to win election to the role.
The only leadership position that receives a formal vote on the House floor is speaker of the House. The vote is held on the first day of a new session of congress, which usually takes place on January 3 of odd-numbered years. In order to win election as speaker, a candidate must receive a simple majority of votes among members who vote for a candidate by name. Per CRS, "the majority party’s candidate is typically elected on a party line vote."[18]
Historical leadership in Congress
Heading into the 2025 leadership elections, the following U.S. representatives held leadership positions:[19]
- Mike Johnson (R), speaker of the House
- Steve Scalise (R), majority leader
- Tom Emmer (R), majority whip
- Elise Stefanik (R), Republican Conference chairwoman
- Gary Palmer (R), Republican Policy Committee chairman
- Hakeem Jeffries (D), minority leader
- Katherine Clark (D), minority whip
- Pete Aguilar (D), Democratic Caucus chairman
- Ted Lieu (D), Democratic Caucus vice chair
- Joe Neguse (D), assistant minority leader
Historical speakers
The table below shows a list of speakers of the House from 1789 to present.
| Speakers of the House, 1789 - present | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Congress | Name | State or territory | Date elected |
| 1st (1789–1791) | Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg | PA | Apr 01, 1789 |
| 2nd (1791–1793) | Jonathan Trumbull, Jr. | CT | Oct 24, 1791 |
| 3rd (1793–1795) | Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg | PA | Dec 02, 1793 |
| 4th (1795–1797) | Jonathan Dayton | NJ | Dec 07, 1795 |
| 5th (1797–1799) | Jonathan Dayton | NJ | May 15, 1797 |
| 6th (1799–1801) | Theodore Sedgwick | MA | Dec 02, 1799 |
| 7th (1801–1803) | Nathaniel Macon | NC | Dec 07, 1801 |
| 8th (1803–1805) | Nathaniel Macon | NC | Oct 17, 1803 |
| 9th (1805–1807) | Nathaniel Macon | NC | Dec 02, 1805 |
| 10th (1807–1809) | Joseph Bradley Varnum | MA | Oct 26, 1807 |
| 11th (1809–1811) | Joseph Bradley Varnum | MA | May 22, 1809 |
| 12th (1811–1813) | Henry Clay | KY | Nov 04, 1811 |
| 13th (1813–1815) | Henry Clay | KY | May 24, 1813 |
| 13th (1813–1815) | Langdon Cheves | SC | Jan 19, 1814 |
| 14th (1815–1817) | Henry Clay | KY | Dec 04, 1815 |
| 15th (1817–1819) | Henry Clay | KY | Dec 01, 1817 |
| 16th (1819–1821) | Henry Clay | KY | Dec 06, 1819 |
| 16th (1819–1821) | John W. Taylor | NY | Nov 15, 1820 |
| 17th (1821–1823) | Philip Pendelton Barbour | VA | Dec 04, 1821 |
| 18th (1823–1825) | Henry Clay | KY | Dec 01, 1823 |
| 19th (1825–1827) | John W. Taylor | NY | Dec 05, 1825 |
| 20th (1827–1829) | Andrew Stevenson | VA | Dec 03, 1827 |
| 21st (1829–1831) | Andrew Stevenson | VA | Dec 07, 1829 |
| 22nd (1831–1833) | Andrew Stevenson | VA | Dec 05, 1831 |
| 23rd (1833–1835) | Andrew Stevenson | VA | Dec 02, 1833 |
| 23rd (1833–1835) | John Bell | TN | Jun 02, 1834 |
| 24th (1835–1837) | James Knox Polk | TN | Dec 07, 1835 |
| 25th (1837–1839) | James Knox Polk | TN | Sep 04, 1837 |
| 26th (1839–1841) | Robert Mercer Taliaferro Hunter | VA | Dec 16, 1839 |
| 27th (1841–1843) | John White | KY | May 31, 1841 |
| 28th (1843–1845) | John Winston Jones | VA | Dec 04, 1843 |
| 29th (1845–1847) | John Wesley Davis | IN | Dec 01, 1845 |
| 30th (1847–1849) | Robert Charles Winthrop | MA | Dec 06, 1847 |
| 31st (1849–1851) | Howell Cobb | GA | Dec 22, 1849 |
| 32nd (1851–1853) | Linn Boyd | KY | Dec 01, 1851 |
| 33rd (1853–1855) | Linn Boyd | KY | Dec 05, 1853 |
| 34th (1855–1857) | Nathaniel Prentice Banks | MA | Feb 02, 1856 |
| 35th (1857–1859) | James Lawrence Orr | SC | Dec 07, 1857 |
| 36th (1859–1861) | William Pennington | NJ | Feb 01, 1860 |
| 37th (1861–1863) | Galusha Aaron Grow | PA | Jul 04, 1861 |
| 38th (1863–1865) | Schuyler Colfax | IN | Dec 07, 1863 |
| 39th (1865–1867) | Schuyler Colfax | IN | Dec 04, 1865 |
| 40th (1867–1869) | Schuyler Colfax | IN | Mar 04, 1867 |
| 40th (1867–1869) | Theodore Medad Pomeroy | NY | Mar 03, 1869 |
| 41st (1869–1871) | James Gillespie Blaine | ME | Mar 04, 1869 |
| 42nd (1871–1873) | James Gillespie Blaine | ME | Mar 04, 1871 |
| 43rd (1873–1875) | James Gillespie Blaine | ME | Dec 01, 1873 |
| 44th (1875–1877) | Michael Crawford Kerr | IN | Dec 06, 1875 |
| 44th (1875–1877) | Samuel Jackson Randall | PA | Dec 04, 1876 |
| 45th (1877–1879) | Samuel Jackson Randall | PA | Oct 15, 1877 |
| 46th (1879–1881) | Samuel Jackson Randall | PA | Mar 18, 1879 |
| 47th (1881–1883) | Joseph Warren Keifer | OH | Dec 05, 1881 |
| 48th (1883–1885) | John Griffin Carlisle | KY | Dec 03, 1883 |
| 49th (1885–1887) | John Griffin Carlisle | KY | Dec 07, 1885 |
| 50th (1887–1889) | John Griffin Carlisle | KY | Dec 05, 1887 |
| 51st (1889–1891) | Thomas Brackett Reed | ME | Dec 02, 1889 |
| 52nd (1891–1893) | Charles Frederick Crisp | GA | Dec 08, 1891 |
| 53rd (1893–1895) | Charles Frederick Crisp | GA | Aug 07, 1893 |
| 54th (1895–1897) | Thomas Brackett Reed | ME | Dec 02, 1895 |
| 55th (1897–1899) | Thomas Brackett Reed | ME | Mar 15, 1897 |
| 56th (1899–1901) | David Bremner Henderson | IA | Dec 04, 1899 |
| 57th (1901–1903) | David Bremner Henderson | IA | Dec 02, 1901 |
| 58th (1903–1905) | Joseph Gurney Cannon | IL | Nov 09, 1903 |
| 59th (1905–1907) | Joseph Gurney Cannon | IL | Dec 04, 1905 |
| 60th (1907–1909) | Joseph Gurney Cannon | IL | Dec 02, 1907 |
| 61st (1909–1911) | Joseph Gurney Cannon | IL | Mar 15, 1909 |
| 62nd (1911–1913) | James Beauchamp Clark | MO | Apr 04, 1911 |
| 63rd (1913–1915) | James Beauchamp Clark | MO | Apr 07, 1913 |
| 64th (1915–1917) | James Beauchamp Clark | MO | Dec 06, 1915 |
| 65th (1917–1919) | James Beauchamp Clark | MO | Apr 02, 1917 |
| 66th (1919–1921) | Frederick Huntington Gillett | MA | May 19, 1919 |
| 67th (1921–1923) | Frederick Huntington Gillett | MA | Apr 11, 1921 |
| 68th (1923–1925) | Frederick Huntington Gillett | MA | Dec 05, 1923 |
| 69th (1925–1927) | Nicholas Longworth | OH | Dec 07, 1925 |
| 70th (1927–1929) | Nicholas Longworth | OH | Dec 05, 1927 |
| 71st (1929–1931) | Nicholas Longworth | OH | Apr 15, 1929 |
| 72nd (1931–1933) | John Nance Garner | TX | Dec 07, 1931 |
| 73rd (1933–1935) | Henry Thomas Rainey | IL | Mar 09, 1933 |
| 74th (1935–1937) | Joseph Wellington Byrns | TN | Jan 03, 1935 |
| 74th (1935–1937) | William Brockman Bankhead | AL | Jun 04, 1936 |
| 75th (1937–1939) | William Brockman Bankhead | AL | Jan 05, 1937 |
| 76th (1939–1941) | William Brockman Bankhead | AL | Jan 03, 1939 |
| 76th (1939–1941) | Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn | TX | Sep 16, 1940 |
| 77th (1941–1943) | Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn | TX | Jan 03, 1941 |
| 78th (1943–1945) | Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn | TX | Jan 06, 1943 |
| 79th (1945–1947) | Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn | TX | Jan 03, 1945 |
| 80th (1947–1949) | Joseph William Martin, Jr. | MA | Jan 03, 1947 |
| 81st (1949–1951) | Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn | TX | Jan 03, 1949 |
| 82nd (1951–1953) | Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn | TX | Jan 03, 1951 |
| 83rd (1953–1955) | Joseph William Martin, Jr. | MA | Jan 03, 1953 |
| 84th (1955–1957) | Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn | TX | Jan 05, 1955 |
| 85th (1957–1959) | Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn | TX | Jan 03, 1957 |
| 86th (1959–1961) | Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn | TX | Jan 07, 1959 |
| 87th (1961–1963) | Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn | TX | Jan 03, 1961 |
| 87th (1961–1963) | John William McCormack | MA | Jan 10, 1962 |
| 88th (1963–1965) | John William McCormack | MA | Jan 09, 1963 |
| 89th (1965–1967) | John William McCormack | MA | Jan 04, 1965 |
| 90th (1967–1969) | John William McCormack | MA | Jan 10, 1967 |
| 91st (1969–1971) | John William McCormack | MA | Jan 03, 1969 |
| 92nd (1971–1973) | Carl Bert Albert | OK | Jan 21, 1971 |
| 93rd (1973–1975) | Carl Bert Albert | OK | Jan 03, 1973 |
| 94th (1975–1977) | Carl Bert Albert | OK | Jan 14, 1975 |
| 95th (1977–1979) | Thomas Philip (Tip) O'Neill, Jr. | MA | Jan 04, 1977 |
| 96th (1979–1981) | Thomas Philip (Tip) O'Neill, Jr. | MA | Jan 15, 1979 |
| 97th (1981–1983) | Thomas Philip (Tip) O'Neill, Jr. | MA | Jan 05, 1981 |
| 98th (1983–1985) | Thomas Philip (Tip) O'Neill, Jr. | MA | Jan 03, 1983 |
| 99th (1985–1987) | Thomas Philip (Tip) O'Neill, Jr. | MA | Jan 03, 1985 |
| 100th (1987–1989) | James Claude Wright, Jr. | TX | Jan 06, 1987 |
| 101st (1989–1991) | James Claude Wright, Jr. | TX | Jan 03, 1989 |
| 101st (1989–1991) | Thomas Stephen Foley | WA | Jun 06, 1989 |
| 102nd (1991–1993) | Thomas Stephen Foley | WA | Jan 03, 1991 |
| 103rd (1993–1995) | Thomas Stephen Foley | WA | Jan 05, 1993 |
| 104th (1995–1997) | Newt Gingrich | GA | Jan 04, 1995 |
| 105th (1997–1999) | Newt Gingrich | GA | Jan 07, 1997 |
| 106th (1999–2001) | John Dennis Hastert | IL | Jan 06, 1999 |
| 107th (2001–2003) | John Dennis Hastert | IL | Jan 03, 2001 |
| 108th (2003–2005) | John Dennis Hastert | IL | Jan 07, 2003 |
| 109th (2005–2007) | John Dennis Hastert | IL | Jan 04, 2005 |
| 110th (2007–2009) | Nancy Pelosi | CA | Jan 04, 2007 |
| 111th (2009–2011) | Nancy Pelosi | CA | Jan 06, 2009 |
| 112th (2011–2013) | John Boehner | OH | Jan 05, 2011 |
| 113th (2013–2015) | John Boehner | OH | Jan 03, 2013 |
| 114th (2015–2017) | John Boehner | OH | Jan 06, 2015 |
| 114th (2015–2017) | Paul Ryan | WI | Oct 29, 2015 |
| 115th (2017–2019) | Paul Ryan | WI | Jan 03, 2017 |
| 116th (2019–2021) | Nancy Pelosi | CA | Jan 03, 2019 |
| 117th (2021–2023) | Nancy Pelosi | CA | Jan 03, 2021 |
| 118th (2023-2023) | Kavin McCarthy | CA | January 7, 2023 |
| 118th (2023-present) | Mike Johnson|LA | October 25, 2023 | |
Duties of U.S. House leadership
The following brief descriptions of the duties of U.S. House leadership in the 118th Congress come from the official website of the U.S. House of Representatives:[19]
- Speaker of the House: Elected by the whole of the House of Representatives, the Speaker acts as leader of the House and combines several roles: the institutional role of presiding officer and administrative head of the House, the role of leader of the majority party in the House, and the representative role of an elected member of the House. The Speaker of the House is second in line to succeed the President, after the Vice President.
- Majority leader: Represents the majority party on the House floor.
- Majority whip: Assists leadership in managing the majority party's legislative program.
- Assistant speaker: Assists the Majority Leader.
- Republican leader / Democratic leader: Represents Republicans or Democrats on the House floor.
- Republican whip / Democratic whip: Assists leadership in managing party's legislative program.
See also
- United States Congress elections, 2024
- United States Senate elections, 2024
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2024
- 118th United States Congress
- United States Congress
- United States Senate
- United States House of Representatives
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Congressional Research Service, "Party Leaders in the House: Election, Duties, and Responsibilities," accessed November 11, 2022
- ↑ Congressional Research Service, "Electing the Speaker of the House of Representatives: Frequently Asked Questions," November 24, 2020
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 C-SPAN, "Opening Day of the 119th Congress," January 3, 2025
- ↑ Axios, "House Democrats set leadership elections for Nov. 19," November 7, 2024
- ↑ X, "Nicholas Wu on November 19, 2024," accessed November 19, 2024
- ↑ X, "Nicholas Wu on November 19, 2024," accessed November 19, 2024
- ↑ X, "Nicholas Wu on November 19, 2024," accessed November 19, 2024
- ↑ X, "House Democrats on November 19, 2024," accessed November 19, 2024
- ↑ Punchbowl News, "The big rush: GOP sets Nov. 13 for leadership showdowns," October 30, 2024
- ↑ X, "Jake Sherman on November 13, 2024," accessed November 13, 2024
- ↑ X, "Jake Sherman on November 13, 2024," accessed November 13, 2024
- ↑ X, "Olivia Beavers on November 13, 2024," accessed November 13, 2024
- ↑ X, "Olivia Beavers on November 13, 2024," accessed November 13, 2024
- ↑ X, "Jake Sherman on November 11, 2024," accessed November 11, 2024
- ↑ X, "Erin Houchin on November 12, 2024," accessed November 13, 2024
- ↑ Associated Press, "Trump chooses New York Rep. Elise Stefanik as ambassador to United Nations," November 11, 2024
- ↑ X, "Olivia Beavers on November 13, 2024," accessed November 13, 2024
- ↑ Congressional Research Service, "Party Leaders in the House: Election, Duties, and Responsibilities," November 5, 2018
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 United States House of Representatives, "Leadership," accessed October 24, 2024
