Louisianan gets nod to be speaker
WASHINGTON — Rep. Mike Johnson, a relatively inexperienced Louisiana Republican who fought to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, was elected speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, ending weeks of leaderless chaos that followed the Oct. 3 ouster of Kevin Mccarthy.
Johnson’s ascension to the speaker’s chair cements a fiercely pro-trump, hard-line faction as the face of the national GOP. The speaker of the House is second in line, after the vice president, to fill any presidential vacancy.
The vote was 220-209, with House Republicans voting unanimously for Johnson and all Democrats present backing Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York.
Nevada Rep. Mark Amodei, the lone Republican in the state’s congressional delegation, said he threw his support behind Johnson after a call from him Tuesday night.
“We talked for half an hour about his experience with issues important to Nevada, as well as other national policy priorities,” Amodei said in a statement released by his office before Wednesday’s vote. “I wanted to make sure he and his staff were aware of issues important to Nevadans, and in turn was given direct access to key staff members who handle these topics. I was able to have a conversation with Mr. Johnson’s chief of staff this morning about specific legislation I’m working on and left the conversation pleased.”
The outcome of Wednesday’s vote thrusts Johnson, a 51-yearold former conservative talk radio host now in his fourth term in Congress, into the national spotlight.
Johnson, a longtime opponent of abortion rights and LGBTQ rights, served in Louisiana’s state legislature from 2015 to 2017. In Washington, he ran the Republican Study Committee, a group of socially conservative lawmak
ers, and served as vice chair of the House Republican caucus, a low-ranking party leadership post.
But he has never chaired a congressional committee and will be the least experienced speaker in 140 years.
The Louisianan was a key player in former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Johnson not only voted against certifying some election results, he also helped rally over 100 House Republicans to sign a brief in support of a Texas-led effort to get the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn election results in four states won by then-candidate Joe Biden.
The lawsuit received stiff backlash from both Democrats and legal experts, who deemed it meritless and shallow.
Johnson supports new restrictions on the rights of LGBTQ Americans. Last year, he introduced legislation that would have banned federally funded institutions from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity. He is a fierce opponent of gender-affirming care for trans youths.
Susan B. Anthony Pro-life America, a Washington-based nonprofit that opposes abortion rights, awarded Johnson an A+ for his efforts to limit access to the medical procedure.
Democrats described Johnson as an extremist even before he secured the gavel.
“Mike Johnson is anti-democratic, anti-family, and anti-american,” Rep. Norma Torres, D-calif. said in a statement. “After 22 days without a speaker of the House, it is a disgrace that House Republicans chose to elect an extremist as speaker, rather than pursue a bipartisan path forward for the American people.”
Republicans expressed relief that Johnson’s election ended their conference’s chaos.
Rep. Young Kim, R-calif., said in a statement that she “came to Congress to get things done, not grandstand.”
Before the vote, a handful of Democrats shook Johnson’s hand while Republicans stood in line to take selfies with the soonto-be speaker. Though Johnson is not as well-known as the Republicans who failed to secure the speakership before him, his lack of a national profile may have ultimately aided his campaign.
A forthcoming HBO documentary on a major sex abuse scandal at Ohio State University could have haunted a previous nominee, Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, if his colleagues had elevated him to the speakership. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana, another failed nominee, faced flak for reportedly attending an event in the early 2000s hosted by a group founded by David Duke, former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.
Jordan, like Johnson, was also deeply involved in election denialism, but Colorado Rep. Ken Buck, who voted for Johnson on Wednesday and against Jordan previously, said there was a key difference between their records.
Ahead of the floor vote, Buck said that Johnson’s involvement was distinct from Jordan’s because Johnson focused his efforts on the legal system, which is “fundamentally different than somebody who is actively involved in moving the protesters from the mall” and to the Capitol, he told reporters.
As speaker, Johnson will need to negotiate with seasoned Democratic leadership, including Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, on a swath of pressing issues, including potential funding for Ukraine and Israel to aid them in their respective wars.
“Virtually no one has any idea how Mr. Johnson will perform,” Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster, told The Times. “That’s probably the takeaway of the day — a whole series of question marks about him and his leadership.”
Johnson will also need to decide whether to make a deal with Democrats to fend off a Nov. 17 government shutdown that could leave military service members and other federal employees without pay ahead of the holidays. Ahead of the floor vote, Johnson sketched out a one-year road map for his conference, saying he would pass key appropriations bills by the end of this week.
In a statement, Biden congratulated Johnson for his election and made clear his party’s priorities, including avoiding a mid-november shutdown.
“This is a time for all of us to act responsibly, and to put the good of the American people and the everyday priorities of American families above any partisanship,” Biden said. The House GOP spent more than three weeks without a leader after eight Republicans, led by Florida’s Matt Gaetz, pushed Mccarthy out of the speaker’s chair on Oct. 3 with the help of House Democrats.
In his first address from the speaker’s chair, Johnson nodded to Mccarthy’s tenure.
“You would be hard pressed to find anybody who loves this institution more or who has contributed more to it. He is the reason we’re in this majority today,” Johnson said. “You helped build it, Kevin, and we owe you a great debt of gratitude.” The historic vote to remove Mccarthy left the lower chamber leaderless for over three weeks and caused embarrassing infighting within the GOP conference to spill over into the public eye. Before Johnson, three other men who raised their hands for the role — Scalise; Jordan, chair of the Judiciary Committee; and Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota — tried and failed to secure a majority.
Scalise dropped out less than one day after securing the nomination. Jordan endured three humiliating floor votes before being forced to abandon his effort. Emmer, who voted to certify the 2020 election results, quickly saw stiff opposition from far-right members and their leader, Trump, who knifed the Minnesotan on social media, imploring lawmakers to block his candidacy. Four hours after clinching the nomination, Emmer dropped out.
Ahead of Wednesday’s floor vote, Trump made clear his support for Johnson.