All seven Hoosier Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives voted for U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., as House speaker in the first round of voting on Friday, including Rep. Victoria Spartz who has been critical of her party leadership ahead of the 119 Congress.
The Hamilton County congresswoman, who was reelected in November, had been seen as a wild card ahead of Friday’s vote, where Johnson could not afford to lose many fellow Republicans. Spartz in December announced she would not participate in House Republican committees or meetings during the 119th Congress.
Johnson did not receive enough votes to be elected speaker on the first ballot, which means another round of voting is expected before the House can begin official business. It took 15 rounds of voting in 2023 before the House finally elected former California Republican Kevin McCarthy as speaker at the start of the 118th Congress. McCarthy was later ousted from the role that October and members tapped Johnson as speaker a few weeks later.
Checks and Balances: Politics in your email
Prior to the speaker votes, Johnson posted on X a commitment on actions for “fiscal responsibility,” which Spartz has advocated for. The congresswoman positively responded on X to Johnson’s statement, a sign of an agreement between the two.
“I appreciate @SpeakerJohnson’s public commitment to the American people to deliver on President Trump’s agenda and drain the swamp,” Spartz wrote on X about Johnson’s promises on fiscal policies.
Indiana’s House delegation includes two Democrats and seven Republicans. U.S. Reps. Frank Mrvan and André Carson voted for New York Democrat Hakeem Jeffries as speaker, who serves as the House Minority Leader.
How Indiana representatives voted for Speaker of the House
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Frank Mrvan, Democrat, 1st Congressional District: Jeffries
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Rudy Yakym, Republican, 2nd Congressional District: Johnson
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Marlin Stutzman, Republican, 3rd Congressional District: Johnson
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James Baird, Republican, 4th Congressional District: Johnson
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Victoria Spartz, Republican, 5th Congressional District: Johnson
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Jefferson Shreve, Republican, 6th Congressional District: Johnson
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André Carson, Democrat, 7th Congressional District: Jeffries
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Mark Messmer, Republican, 8th Congressional District: Johnson
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Erin Houchin, Republican, 9th Congressional District: Johnson
This story will be updated.
Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at brittany.carloni@indystar.com or 317-779-4468. Follow her on Twitter/X @CarloniBrittany.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: How Indiana’s U.S. representatives voted on first House speaker ballot