The speaker of the lower house of the U.S. Congress has expressed confidence in his re-election bid

Republican Mike Johnson, the speaker of the lower house of the U.S. Congress (House of Representatives), said on January 2 on Fox News television that he is confident of being re-elected to office "in one round."

"I think we'll do it in one round. I really hope so because we need to stick together," the New York Post quoted him as saying.

He reminded that the Republican Party will have a slight margin of victory in the House of Representatives in the new convocation, so it is necessary that Republicans "work together for the good of the team."

Johnson also said that he considers himself a "proven fighter" who adheres to the ideas of the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement. As such, he said, he will be able to convince all Republicans to work together despite differing positions.

The election for speaker of the lower house of Congress will be held on January 3. To win Johnson needs to get at least 218 out of 434 votes.

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Earlier, on December 24, it was reported that Speaker Mike Johnson risks losing the support of US President-elect Donald Trump and losing his post. Republicans communicated with the president-elect weeks before the announcement of the government shutdown, expressing dissatisfaction and doubts about how Johnson handles issues. Information about the conversations spread when House Republicans became unhappy with Johnson's handling of government funding.

On Dec. 20, the U.S. House of Representatives, hours before the shutdown hit, backed a bill to temporarily extend funding for the federal government. The document went to the Senate (the upper house of Congress) for a vote. After that, if approved, the bill will be sent for signature to US President Joe Biden.

On the same day, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson promised to prevent a shutdown as Republican congressmen try to find a last-minute solution to the issue of funding the government.