Speaker Mike Johnson still has less than 24 hour to convince a few Republican legislators who are critical of his leadership. This raises the possibility of a contentious and close vote on Friday, and increases the risk that intra-GOP fights that characterized the 118th Congress could continue into the new 119th Congress.

Johnson (R, Louisiana) spent the week on the phone and meeting with legislators in the Capitol until Thursday evening in order to better understand the concerns he needs to gain the support of about half a dozen conservatives whose votes he will need in the speakership elections that begin at noon. The House Freedom Caucus is a group of ultra-conservatives who have spent the past year urging their leaders to cut government spending or face the consequences.

Johnson will need 218 votes to win the gavel if all House members are present on Friday and vote for a candidate who is named as speaker. Due to the resignation of Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, last month, the House Republicans will only have 219 seats at the start of the year. This means that Johnson can afford one GOP vote. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, has stated that he will definitely vote against Johnson. Therefore the speaker needs every other Republican vote.

The House will continue voting if Johnson is unable to get the required votes. This is because without a speaker, legislators cannot be sworn-in and begin voting.

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Johnson told Fox News that discussions have been focused on “processes reforms” in the House. Two people who were familiar with the talks, and spoke under the condition of anonymity, to describe ongoing, private negotiations, said Johnson was referring to efforts to ensure House Republicans could quickly pass conservative legislation, while at the same time cutting spending.

Johnson, who met with holdouts on Thursday afternoon, predicted on Fox again that he might receive “maybe one “no” vote”. He remained “hopeful,” that he could win the gavel in the first round.

Donald Trump, the president-elect, has thrown his support behind Johnson this week. He argues that Johnson is best suited to implement conservative reforms. Trump told reporters that he believed the holdouts would ultimately support Johnson, because he was the only House Republican capable of securing enough votes to take the gavel. This came ahead of his New Years Eve party at the Mar-a-Lago Club.

“He is the only one who can win now.” People like him. Trump stated that “almost everyone likes him”. He said that there were others who could be “very good,” but that “they had 30 or 40 people who didn’t like them.”

When asked if he called to pressure holdouts, Trump replied that he would if needed, but he believed Johnson had the votes. “Really, we’re going have a good time and get a success vote.” “[Johnson is] a wonderful man and that’s exactly what you need.”

Trump’s support earlier this week appeared to influence some lawmakers. Rep. Josh Brecheen, R-Oklahoma, who voted against Johnson’s stopgap financing bill last month posted that after Trump’s support he believed Johnson and Trump were “the winning combination to deliver the results we need within our window of opportunities.”

Other members of the House Freedom Caucus are still undecided on whether or not to support Johnson. They want to understand how Johnson will reduce spending and push forward Trump’s agenda.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, a key holdout in the conversation about replacing Johnson for several weeks now, said on Wednesday that Johnson’s mishandling with the latest government funding measure cannot be repeated.

“I am undecided about the Speaker vote, but not a hard no. It’s because it isn’t all the fault of the @SpeakerJohnson. I want to give him grace and @realDonaldTrump the room they need to carry out the strong agenda we elected them to. “But something MUST change,” wrote he.

Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen said that Congress must address the debt limit first. If it isn’t lifted by Jan. 14, the federal government may be forced to take “extraordinary” measures.

The incoming administration will want the GOP-led Congress, shortly after Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration, to pass policies that address border security and energy reforms before reauthorizing Trump’s 2017 tax laws.

Johnson and his leadership released a 32 page document on New Year’s Day, which outlines their legislative goals and how the chamber is to operate. All 12 bills that are expected to pass in the next few weeks were core conservative priorities Republicans ran on. However, they don’t address Trump’s entire agenda.

Johnson and his supporters argue that it is only possible to achieve all of this if the Republican Party sticks together. They begin by unifying behind reelecting Johnson as speaker. Johnson and his three deputies wrote a joint op/ed on Wednesday, stating that they had prepared a plan for removing any roadblocks to President Trump’s policy and reform agenda. To implement that vision, it is important to remain united.