GOP lawmaker discusses why he changed his vote to support Mike Johnson in heated House Speaker vote

Appointed Speaker Mike Johnson, reporter, was re-elected lead the House of Representatives on Friday, despite losing one Republican in the final vote count.

In the end, Rep. Thomas Massey, D-Kyv., was the only Republican to vote against Johnson, but it could have been worse for the House speaker. Reps. Keith Self, R-Texas, and Ralph Norman, R-Texas, originally voted against Johnson, but changed their votes to support him.

Norman told Fox News that he changed his vote after receiving some assurances from Johnson.

“I said, ‘Mike, are you going to give us specific examples of the struggles we mentioned? Will you give us your word?” He said, “Yes.” So I said, “Okay, we’ll take your word for it.” That’s why I changed my voice,” Norman explained Friday on “History.”

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Johnson’s future appeared uncertain at one point Friday afternoon Norman, Massey and Self voted not for him but for the speaker, putting the gavel seemingly out of reach.

Johnson then met with Self, Norman and other lawmakers behind closed doors before the vote was over. Both later appeared and switched their votes to support Johnson.

Norman shared that his initial opposition was based on concern over whether Johnson was “willing to fight for Trump’s agenda.”

“We had a long meeting with Speaker Johnson yesterday, and I didn’t get the sense that there was any apprehension or willingness to fight for Trump’s agenda,” he said on “The Story.”

Norman stood by his original decision to vote against Johnson, arguing that “the only way for my voice to be heard.”

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In the end, the Louisiana Republican won on party lines in the first round of voting, a stark contrast to his predecessor Kevin McCarthy’s long 15-round battle in 2023.

Johnson’s re-election victory came despite gun-rattling by some conservatives who threatened to withdraw Johnson’s support in protest of his handling of government funding and a number of other issues in the 118th Congress.

“I think he now understands the fact that there are no more suspension votes, where we’re allowing more votes for Democrats than Republicans, that’s what’s killing the country,” Norman said. “If we do the same thing over and over again, as we have done for the last 14 months, we will be in the same position. I just don’t want to accept it, and I didn’t.”

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“Mike has a great opportunity to show the American people that he’s not only going to say it, but he’s going to fight it. He will have Trump supports himthat everything is fine.”

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.