House Republicans on Wednesday endorsed Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to return as their leader.
Johnson's win was not surprising, as he ran unopposed and there were no objections before the unanimous voice vote. He still must notch a majority of votes from the 435-person chamber during a public floor vote in early January.
Before the vote, President-elect Donald Trump expressed his support for Johnson as he visited Capitol Hill.
Johnson was first elected as House speaker in October of 2023, after lawmakers ousted then-Rep. Kevin McCarthy from the position.
Meanwhile on Wednesday, Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) secured the position of Senate Republican Conference Chair, winning a competitive race against Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), reported The Hill.
The role, which makes Cotton the party's chief messenger, was the only contested leadership position aside from the conference leader spot.
Cotton will succeed Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), who is moving up to become the Republican whip, replacing term-limited Senator John Thune of South Dakota.
The election result means Ernst, who previously served as Senate GOP Policy Committee chair for two years following Roy Blunt's retirement, will no longer hold a position on the six-member Republican leadership team.
Speaking after his election as Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, Cotton said, “I’m looking forward to working with Senator Thune and the rest of this leadership team. I’m very grateful for the confidence that my peers placed in me.”
“We all remember what it was like when President Trump was in office, and we had Republicans in charge of the Senate. We had low prices, we had high wages, we had a secure border, we had a strong military, we had a peaceful and stable world,” he added.
“Starting on January 3rd, that’s what we’ll all be working to build again with President Trump, with Mike Johnson and the rest of the House Republicans, on behalf of the American people.”