After 22 absurd days, thirteen failed candidates, four nominees, and four votes, Republicans have finally elected a Speaker of the House.
Mike Johnson of Louisiana was unanimously chosen by his party to take the gavel in a vote that ended the three-week GOP circus in the House sparked by the ouster of Kevin McCarthy.
Johnson, a 51-year-old father of four, won all 220 Republican votes and secured the top job after a battle marked by backstabbing, death threats, side deals, Donald Trump and Matt Gaetz.
Johnson, who was vice chairman of the House GOP conference and is supported by Trump, needed at least 215 of 220 Republicans in attendance to vote for him – but instead received his party’s unanimous endorsement.
All 209 Democrats in attendance voted for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a vote dominated by ridicule of voter fraud and Trump.
Johnson was the fourth Republican candidate for the top job in three weeks and the first to break through Republican infighting.
“The House of Representatives is back in business,” Johnson said after his election in the House, to cheers from the entire chamber.
After 22 absurd days, thirteen failed candidates, four nominees, and four votes, Republicans have finally elected a Speaker of the House
Louisiana Republican Rep. Mike Johnson has been elected speaker of the House of Representatives, ending more than three weeks of impasse in the lower house of Congress
Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s name was eventually taken down from the door above the Speaker’s office
Immediately after Johnson’s election, a new sign was installed above the speaker’s office in the Capitol
He was the first Republican speaker since John Boehner in 2011 to win every single vote in his party, a stark contrast to the deep division every candidate has faced since McCarthy was voted out.
His victory will now allow the House of Representatives to resume regular business, urgently needed given that there is less than a month to go before a possible government shutdown and the war between Israel and Hamas is intensifying.
The House will get back to legislative work, which also includes a resolution supporting Israel and a contentious spending fight.
“This is a beautiful country,” Johnson said in the House of Representatives immediately after his election, noting that the United States is currently facing many challenges.
“We are in a very dangerous time… A strong America is good for the whole world,” he said to applause from both the Democratic and Republican sides of the chamber.
A man of faith, the new speaker mentioned how his wife prayed on her knees for weeks before his election.
He also referred to God in his introductory speech. He referred to the House of Representatives motto “In God We Trust.”
The Republican said the first action the House would take under his leadership would be to pass a resolution condemning Hamas and supporting Israel.
“We have a disaster on our southern border,” he added. “The status quo is unacceptable and we must come together and address the broken border. “We must do it.”
Johnson said there needs to be a curb on federal spending to reduce inflation.
“The greatest threat to our national security is our country’s debt,” he added.
“This speaker’s office will be known for decentralizing power here,” Johnson concluded.
He said he wanted members to be more involved and influenced in all House processes.
Trust, transparency and accountability will be the cornerstones of how he will lead the leadership office.
He was sworn into the office of Speaker by House Dean Hal Rogers, R-K.Y.
Immediately after his swearing-in, the House of Representatives took up the resolution in support of Israel in the face of attacks by Hamas terrorists.
President Joe Biden said Wednesday during a news conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese that he has no problems with new speaker Johnson.
Former President Donald Trump, who publicly supported Johnson, cheered his election on Wednesday.
“Congratulations to Rep. Mike Johnson.” He will be a great “speaker.” Make America Great Again!’ He wrote about Truth Social.
Johnson was nominated Tuesday night – just hours after Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., won an internal Republican vote, but dropped out after 26 Republicans signaled they would not vote for him in the House.
Majority Leader Steve Scalise, another Louisianan, was the first Republican nominee after Kevin McCarthy was ousted in a historic motion to overturn the vote more than three weeks ago.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries hands the gavel to Speaker-elect Mike Johnson
Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy speaks with his successor, new Speaker Mike Johnson
But after about 24 hours, he dropped out when he realized there were holdouts who couldn’t be swayed in his favor – those who thought he was too “establishment.”
Fiery Ohio Republican Jim Jordan, chairman of the powerful Judiciary Committee, won the nomination after Scalise, but failed to win over about 20 moderates in three failed votes.
Johnson and Jordan have very similar voting records.
Both voted against the certification of the 2020 election, against the continuing resolution maintaining funding for the government through November 17, against the $300 million aid to Ukraine and in favor of the McCarthy-Biden debt ceiling agreement.
MP Madeleine Dean told that a colleague told her the only difference between Johnson and Jordan was that “you wear a jacket”.
GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik hugs Mike Johnson after nominating him for House Speaker
As part of his “excited” brand, Jordan is known on Capitol Hill for ditching his suit jacket, even when conducting business as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
Some Republican advocates and defense hawks had opposed Jordan, believing he could cut defense spending.
“Jim Jordan has said that everything is on the table for spending cuts, including defense,” an aide to a moderate member who opposed Jordan told . “Johnson hasn’t gone that far yet.”
Jeffries commented on Johnson’s nomination: “The twice-impeached former president ordered House Republicans to stop Tom Emmer and appoint a top election denier. ‘Is anyone surprised they complied?’
Johnson led an amicus brief signed by more than 100 Republicans on a lawsuit in Texas that sought to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Asked about his previous efforts to overturn the results Tuesday night, he snorted and told a reporter, “next question.”
Meanwhile, Democrats seized on his involvement in the 2020 voter fraud allegations.
‘[Johnson] has emerged as one of the primary opponents of our democratic institutions and our free and fair elections,” California Rep. Adam Schiff told reporters.
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., one of the eight who voted to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, told : “I think Johnson will be trustworthy, more than that, he will be honest, he will be honest.”
But Dean, a Democrat, predicted that Johnson would face the same “unbelievable” allegations made against Kevin McCarthy.
“He’s not someone who’s based on the truth, he’s very smooth-talking.” “He’s clearly smart, but he’s not based on facts and the truth,” she said.
Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., said he doesn’t expect major leadership or policy differences between Johnson and McCarthy, but that Johnson enjoys more trust from the party’s right wing.
“Some of my friends in the Freedom Caucus have told me that they expect to show more grace to Mike Johnson than to Kevin McCarthy.” “I think that gives him a little more leeway to deal with the next three, two months,” said he, referring to the upcoming spending battle to fund the government.
429 members showed up for the vote in which Mike Johnson was elected speaker
Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., watches as the House holds Johnson’s election
Representative Lauren Boebert wants to vote for Johnson
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is heading to the speaker’s election supporting Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries
“I think they trust Mike Johnson in a way that they didn’t trust Kevin McCarthy.”
McCarthy was ousted after he introduced a “clean” continuing resolution, a bill to extend federal funding to 2023 levels for six weeks, while the House needed more time to pass 12 issue-based spending bills.
The South Dakota Republican predicted that Johnson would be able to negotiate spending deals despite his conservative voting record.
When he took office, he said: “Mike Johnson came to my office, sat down with me as a new member and talked to me about how important civility is in this place, even if we don’t with our colleagues on the other side “We should try to do it as people of good faith and good intentions with decency.”
“This is not something that many members will spend time in these halls preaching about the importance of civility, but I bring this up because that is Mike Johnson at his heart.”