By Bo Erickson, Richard Cowan and Katharine Jackson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Mike Johnson appeared to be falling short in his bid to retain the top post in the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday,

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson fell short of winning reelection on a first ballot Friday, leaving the Republican leader’s future somewhat unclear as he tries to retain his position in the narrowly divided Congress.

Republican Mike Johnson appears to have fallen short of reelection as House speaker on the first round of voting, kicking off the GOP’s new era of unified US government control with a public display of internal party division.

Republicans promised big changes in the first 100 days of Donald Trump's presidency. As new members get sworn in on Friday, the 119th Congress' first day also includes a politically fraught task: the House of Representatives must elect a leader.