Republican Mike Johnson won the barest of victories on Friday, Jan. 3, when 218 U.S. House representatives voted to re-up his term as speaker to start the 119th Congress. While Johnson was officially reelected on the first ballot,

WASHINGTON -- This time was supposed to be different.

Johnson, of Louisiana, has been working diligently to prevent defeat, spending New Year’s Day at Mar-a-Lago as he positions himself alongside Trump. The speaker often portrays himself as the “quarterback” who will be executing the political plays called by the “coach,” the president-elect.