Representative Mike Johnson (R., La.), the fourth House Republican to be nominated for the speakership this month, secured the necessary 217 votes to be elected to the post on Wednesday afternoon, ending weeks of uncertainty within the caucus.
After fracturing in successive floor votes for Johnson’s three predecessors as speaker nominee, House Republicans lined up behind Johnson, who secured 220 votes, while the entire Democratic caucus once again gave their support to Representative Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.).
The Republican speaker nominee became the fourth contestant in the running against Jeffries hours after Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R., Minn.) dropped his bid Tuesday afternoon. House Judiciary chairman Jim Jordan (R., Ohio) and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R., La.), the two previous nominees for the role, also failed to secure enough support from their party to clear the 217-vote threshold.
Since Representative Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) was removed from the speakership over three weeks ago, the GOP conference repeatedly struggled to unite behind a candidate. There are only 221 Republicans in the lower chamber, meaning each candidate couldn’t afford to lose more than four votes with Democrats voting in unison. Johnson only lost one, given Representative Derrick Van Orden’s (R., Wis.) absence.
Before turning the floor over to the Wednesday vote, Representative Elise Stefanik (R., N.Y.), chairwoman of the House Republican conference, said Johnson was the best candidate to become the next speaker as “we live in perilous times and the American people are hurting.”
“House Republicans and speaker Mike Johnson will never give up,” she added, amid Republican applause. “Today is the day to get this done.”
While rising to nominate Jeffries as the Democratic candidate once again, Representative Pete Aguilar (D., Calif.) criticized the Republican nominee for being an ally to former president Donald Trump, calling Johnson “the most important architect of the Electoral College objections” to the 2020 presidential-election results.
In an effort to challenge President Joe Biden’s electoral victory, Johnson collected more than 100 House Republican signatures on an amicus brief in support of a Texas lawsuit that sought to overturn the election results in four key states: Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The lawsuit asked the Supreme Court to delay the electoral votes in the four states until investigations into allegedly unconstitutional voting-rule changes could be made. The High Court ultimately rejected the legal effort.
The House has been paralyzed throughout the month of October as war broke out in Israel. The inaction came at a time of crisis when the White House called on Congress to approve over $100 billion in U.S. aid to Israel and Ukraine, a legislative package that the House couldn’t vote on until a permanent speaker was elected. Representative Patrick McHenry (R., N.C.) formerly served as speaker pro tempore, which gave him the authority to preside over the recent elections.
The House also faces a funding deadline of November 17 to fund the government for the coming year and avert a government shutdown. Congress narrowly avoided a shutdown last month by approving a 45-day continuing resolution that keeps the government funded until mid-November. That spending deal cost McCarthy his speakership, as a group of eight House Republicans, led by Representative Matt Gaetz (R., Fla.), accused the then-speaker of betraying his conference and joined with Democrats to vote him out.
Members are expected to vote on a resolution regarding U.S. support for Israel’s defense against Hamas around 4 p.m. on Wednesday. One of the spending bills for fiscal year 2024 will also be debated before moving toward a vote.
After winning the election and before getting sworn into office, the Louisiana Republican thanked both Jeffries and McCarthy in his first speaker’s address on the House floor.
“I know we see things from different points of view, but I know in your heart you want to do what’s right — so we’ll find common ground there,” Johnson said of Jeffries, adding he’s looking forward to working together. Of McCarthy, he said Republicans could not be in the majority today without the former speaker. “His impact can never be overstated,” he added.
Unlike Emmer and the other GOP candidates, Johnson received enough support from his partisan colleagues to win the speakership.
Speaking with National Review late Tuesday evening, Representative Bob Good (R., Va.), one of the eight Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy on October 3, called Johnson “a person of high character, of impeccable integrity, admired and respected in the conference.”
House Budget chairman Jodey Arrington, who gave Johnson’s nominating speech Tuesday night, told National Review: “I’m just pleased that we have a person of the caliber and character of Mike Johnson to lead this conference at such a critical and consequential time for our country.”
Representative John Duarte (R., Calif.) also believed Johnson was the right man to unite the conference and get the House back in session.
“I think there’s going to be acquiescence to the speaker. I think there’s going to be functioning within the conference. I think we’re gonna get Congress rolling,” he told National Review. “We’re gonna pass a lot of legislation, and we’re all looking to get back to work. So I do think there’ll be cohesion within the conference, in terms of functioning through this legislative session.”
Johnson has represented Louisiana’s 4th Congressional District since 2017. He currently serves as the House GOP caucus vice chairman alongside Stefanik and has membership roles on the House Judiciary and House Armed Services Committees.
With four terms under his belt and no senior leadership roles or full committee chairmanships, Johnson is now the least experienced speaker since Representative John Carlisle (D., Ky.) was elected in 1883. Carlisle was similarly in the midst of his fourth term before rising to the office of presiding officer.
Audrey Fahlberg contributed to this report.