Rep. Mike Johnson secured his position as the next House speaker after being chosen by the House members, marking the Republicans’ fourth attempt to find a successor for former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. During the critical chamber-wide voting, Johnson faced minimal risk of dissent from within his party ranks. Unlike his predecessors, he stood unchallenged by his Republican peers.
He secured 220 votes, surpassing the threshold of 217 required to clinch the speaker’s title. On the other side, Democrats consistently voted for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who gathered 209 votes from his party members.
Late Tuesday saw Johnson gaining his party’s nomination, with a few members missing and three casting neutral votes. However, within a span of mere hours since Tuesday, he managed to win over the three Republican members who initially chose to abstain. Adding to his momentum, former President Trump voiced his endorsement for Johnson, encouraging the GOP to act swiftly leading up to the House speaker election.
From Louisiana, Rep. Mike Johnson clinched the House speaker’s role with a 220-209 victory on Wednesday. Though initially not the frontrunner, Johnson emerged as the GOP nominee the previous night, surpassing three more prominent contenders.
Johnson’s political journey began in 2015 when he took office in the state House, serving until 2017. The son of a firefighter, Johnson marked his debut in Congress in the 2016 elections, and presently contributes to both the House Judiciary and Armed Services Committees. Presently, he’s into his second tenure as the vice chairman of the House Republican Conference, a leadership role often away from the media spotlight.
