House Republicans Say They’ve Agreed On A Speaker — Again

House Republicans settled on Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) as their newest pick Tuesday night to be the next House speaker, crossing their collective fingers a Southern conservative will break the knot the selection process has become.

But while the newest speaker-designee, the fourth in three weeks, was confident he could prevail on the House floor Wednesday, it still remained uncertain whether he would have the votes, given some absences at the party meeting.

One Republican member told HuffPost there were three “present” votes and about 19 absences. Because of the slim majority held by House Republicans, they can only afford to lose four votes if all Democrats vote for someone else.