Johnson wins dramatic reelection as speaker after 2 GOP hard-liners switch votes

Democrat Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, addressed the chamber just after Johnson's victory.

Jeffries began by urging bipartisanship in the new Congress to address issues top of mind for Americans like high prices on everything from groceries to childcare costs.

But Jeffries said at the same time, Democrats would "push back against far-right extremism whenever necessary."

Democrats frequently cheered during his remarks, though Republicans broke out in applause when he said the American people elected Trump as the 47th president.

"Thank you for that very generous applause," Jeffries said before taking a swipe at some of his GOP colleagues. "It's okay. There are no election deniers on our side of the aisle."

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Hakeem Jeffries addresses the 119th Congress following speaker vote

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke on the floor of the House following a vote to reelect House Speaker Mike Johnson to lead the 119th Congress.

ABCNews.com

Johnson staved off a failure in the first round of voting to win a second term as speaker.

After nearly two hours, Johnson secured the 218 necessary votes.

At first, he appeared on track to lose with three Republicans voting for someone else.

But after leaving the chamber to huddle with defectors, two lawmakers changed their votes to hand him the gavel.

House Republicans stood and gave Johnson a standing ovation as his win was announced.

Reps. Ralph Norman and Keith Self changed their votes to Johnson, which would bring him to the 218 needed to be speaker.

As lawmakers waited for the final House vote to be called, Johnson was seen huddling with various lawmakers, including Reps. Dusty Johnson, Tim Burchett, and Nancy Mace.

He also was spotted talking with other GOP leaders like House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain, who nominated him for speaker.

He ultimately walked out of the chamber before the vote closed.