Representative Mike Johnson of Louisiana was re-elected speaker of the House of Representatives on the first ballot on Friday after two of his three fellow Republicans who had originally voted for other members of the group switched their votes to him.

Reps. Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Keith Self of Texas delivered their votes to Johnson after huddling with him near the House floor while the chamber clerk held the ballot open for more than an hour.

Only one Republican, Rep. Tom Massie of Kentucky, voted for someone else – Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota – in the final count, giving Johnson the at least 218 votes he needed to win.

Neither Emmer nor the other Republicans Norman and Self voted for first – Jim Jordan of Ohio and Byron Donalds of Florida – had been nominated for or sought the speaker’s gavel.

Johnson defeated Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, who was nominated by his fellow Democrats. Jeffries received all 215 of the group’s votes.

President-elect Donald Trump, who supported Johnson’s candidacy, congratulated him on “an unprecedented vote of confidence in Congress” in a social media post.

“Mike will be a great speaker and our country will benefit,” Trump wrote. “The people of America have waited four years for common sense, strength and leadership. They will get it now, and America will be greater than ever!”

Johnson took over as chairman of the House of Representatives after the vote and called for a moment of silence for the victims of the New Year’s Day terrorist attack in New Orleans.

Johnson was elected Speaker for the first time on October 25, 2023, three weeks after then-Rep. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was ousted from that seat when a handful of Republican members joined all Democrats to vote for his removal.

Johnson was the fourth candidate to replace McCarthy.

McCarthy himself had only been speaker for nine months when he was ousted – he was elected speaker for the first time in January 2023 after four days of voting and 15 ballots.