{"id":2386271,"date":"2025-01-03T17:50:01","date_gmt":"2025-01-03T22:50:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/who-is-keith-self-the-surprise-speed-bump-in-johnsons-speaker-bid\/"},"modified":"2025-01-03T17:51:28","modified_gmt":"2025-01-03T22:51:28","slug":"who-is-keith-self-the-surprise-speed-bump-in-johnsons-speaker-bid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/who-is-keith-self-the-surprise-speed-bump-in-johnsons-speaker-bid\/","title":{"rendered":"Who is Keith Self, the surprise speed bump in Johnson&#8217;s speaker bid?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwho-is-keith-self-the-surprise-speed-bump-in-johnsons-speaker-bid%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2386271&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses Rep.Keith Self (R-TX), who unexpectedly \u200cvoted for Rep. Byron Donalds\u2062 (R-FL) \u200crather than Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) for the Speaker of the House \u2063position in the 119th Congress, surprising many political observers. While figures like Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Rep. Chip \u2063Roy (R-TX) were expected to rebel against the\u200c Trump-backed Johnson, Self&#8217;s dissent came as a\u2062 surprise as he had not \u2064shown any inclination to deviate from party lines. A\u2062 member of the conservative House \u2064Freedom \u200cCaucus, Self \u200dtypically aligns his \u2063votes with those of Roy and Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX), both of whom expressed dissatisfaction with Johnson&#8217;s handling of negotiations. \u200bSelf, who is currently in his second term after being elected in\u2062 2022, represents a shift within some factions of the Republican Party regarding leadership choices\u2063 and negotiation strategies.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Who is Keith Self, the surprise speed bump in Mike Johnson&rsquo;s bid for speaker?<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1919843\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Rep. Keith Self (R-TX) took experts by surprise with his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-justice-dept-asks-supreme-court-to-save-obamacare\/\" title=\"Biden Justice Dept. Asks Supreme Court to Save Obamacare\">initial vote<\/a> for Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) instead of Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mike-johnson\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Mike Johnson<\/a> (R-LA) for the 119th Congress&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/speaker-of-the-house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">speaker of the House<\/a>. Though many, such as Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), were expected to rebel against the Trump-endorsed leader, Self had not given any indication he would defect.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>So, who is Self?<\/p>\n<p>The 71-year representative is a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus and often votes closely in line with Roy and Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX) &mdash; also members of the Freedom Caucus who expressed disappointment in Johnson&rsquo;s negotiations of the continuing resolutions. Those two voted for Johnson to be speaker despite initially remaining quiet when their names were called.<\/p>\n<p>Self is serving in his second term, having been first elected in 2022. His predecessor, former Rep. Van Taylor, dropped out of the race after winning the Republican primary upon the revelation that he had an extramarital affair.<\/p>\n<p>Before running for Congress, Self served as Collin County judge from 2006 to 2018. He assisted in cutting county taxes by 25% and reforming the pension system, <a href=\"https:\/\/keithself.com\/bio-keith-self\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">according to<\/a> his campaign biography. Self also retired from the Army with the rank of lieutenant general.<\/p>\n<p>On economic issues, Self is a big proponent of cutting wasteful spending, and he has voted against raising the debt ceiling and the continuing resolutions, which were commitments made to win over Democratic House members to approve the new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-pushes-for-taxpayer-funded-abortion-in-budget\/\" title=\"Biden Pushes for Taxpayer-Funded Abortion in Budget\">fiscal budget<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Johnson&rsquo;s initial deal brokered with Democrats would have increased the debt ceiling and given them funds for different projects and government programs, frustrating Self.<\/p>\n<p>Roy has applauded Self&rsquo;s strong convictions in limited government.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Keith Self is a rare commodity in Washington,&rdquo; Roy said in a statement shared on Self&rsquo;s campaign website. &ldquo;As a freshman member of &lsquo;The Patriot Twenty,&rsquo; Keith held firm to his principles and proved to be strategic in his thinking.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Self also received an endorsement from President-elect Donald Trump, who gave a nod to Self&rsquo;s policies on the military, border security, veterans, and the Second Amendment.<\/p>\n<p>His primary focus is on &ldquo;advancing the Trump agenda,&rdquo; Self <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepKeithSelf\/status\/1875277861554123179\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">shared<\/a> on X in defense of his initial choice not to vote for Johnson. He said after making his position clear that rank-and-file Republicans should be involved in reconciliation discussions that he decided to switch his vote.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;After receiving firm assurances from the Speaker, that Republicans in the House will have strong representation during the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">budget reconciliation process&#038;mdash<\/a>;a cornerstone of President Trump&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-should-end-on-camera-white-house-press-briefings\/\" title=\"Trump Should End On-Camera White House Press Briefings\">agenda&#038;mdash<\/a>;I changed my initial vote,&rdquo; he wrote. &ldquo;I appreciate Speaker Johnson addressing these critical issues.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Both Self and Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) switched their votes in favor of Johnson after Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) took the pair aside on the House floor to have a phone conversation with Trump, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ChadPergram\/status\/1875277082793509145\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">according<\/a> to Fox News.<\/p>\n<p>Fox News host Bret Baier <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ChadPergram\/status\/1875277082793509145\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">shared<\/a> that Trump said, &ldquo;It would be disrespectful to Americans who voted in an historic presidential election to have this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-strategizing-to-bypass-democrats-in-order-to-advance-trumps-agenda-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Republicans strategizing to bypass Democrats in order to advance Trump&#039;s agenda - Washington Examiner\">speaker&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s vote go to a second or third ballot.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><em>&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;And it would be disrespectful to me,&rdquo; he reportedly added.<\/p>\n<p>Self and Norman then changed their votes, bringing&nbsp;Johnson to the 218 votes he needed to lead as speaker of the House.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1919843\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1919843\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Who is Keith Self, the unexpected hurdle for Mike Johnson?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2542,"featured_media":2386272,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Keith-Self.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4162,47882,5894,47883,47884],"class_list":["post-2386271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-johnson","tag-keith-self","tag-politics","tag-speaker-bid","tag-surprise-candidate"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Keith-Self.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2386271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2542"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2386271"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2386271\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2386275,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2386271\/revisions\/2386275"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2386272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2386271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2386271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2386271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}