TO UPDATE: Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) won the election for speaker, ending three weeks of intraparty divisions and bitter Republican infighting that paralyzed the House of Representatives.
Johnson received 220 votes, while Hakeem Jeffries received 209 votes. The manual roll call represented a contrast to previous ones, as Republicans were united in their support of the Louisiana Republican, who is little known on the national stage. Still, he managed to join the GOP behind closed doors late Tuesday and secure the nomination, with members quick to predict they would eventually coalesce around a candidate for president.
“The challenge is great, but now is the time for action and I will not let you down,” Johnson told members after taking the gavel. He said the first bill he would bring to the table would be a resolution in support of Israel. He also said he planned to create a bipartisan commission on the national debt and that he would decentralize power as chairman.
During his remarks, he discussed various aspects of his biography, including the story of his father, a deputy fire chief in Shreveport, LA, who suffered severe burns as a child. Johnson said his father died of cancer three days before his 2016 election.
There was a brief moment of unity when House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) introduced Johnson and both Democrats and Republicans gave him a standing ovation. But Donald Trump’s influence over much of the Republican caucus was made clear minutes earlier when Jeffries said in his remarks that he wanted to “make a comment about the state of our democracy: Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election won.” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) then shouted at him: “Point of order.”
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, nominated Johnson, calling him a unifier, not a divider, and a man of deep faith. “In the story of King David we are reminded that man looks at the outside, but the Lord looks at the heart.” “Today is the day that House Republicans humbly look into our hearts and make Mike Johnson Speaker of the House. Representatives,” she said.
Then Rep. House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-CA) nominated Jeffries for speaker, calling Johnson someone who spearheaded a “dangerous and baseless” lawsuit to overturn the 2020 election results. He also said that Republicans’ long-running dispute over the speaker’s election is about “who can appease Donald Trump.”
As the roll call was read, House Republicans cheered as three previous candidates, Steve Scalise, Jim Jordan and Tom Emmer, cast their votes for Johnson. They also gave a standing ovation to Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted as speaker earlier this month after a right-wing revolt led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) was incited.
Although it was clear from the start of the roll call that Johnson would get the votes, Democrats took the opportunity to criticize his views. While voting for Jeffries, Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) wished my wife “Happy Anniversary,” a veiled reference to Johnson’s opposition to gay marriage.
Three weeks ago, Democrats were criticized for not defending McCarthy when he was ousted, on the theory that his successor could be further to the right. It could be Johnson, but Democrats have pushed back against that criticism by pointing out that McCarthy has offered them nothing in return. McCarthy continues to blame the Democrats and eight Republicans for driving him out of his seat. He held this office for only nine months, which is the second time in the history of the presidency.
Johnson’s success as a speaker was partly due to his relative anonymity: he did not make enemies like some other media figures like Jordan. Even some Republicans came up with his name. When she stood up to vote for Johnson, Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) first voted for Mike Rogers before correcting herself.
Johnson also appeared somewhat reticent to speak to reporters after refusing to discuss politics Tuesday night. After his speaker victory, reporters were invited to an outdoor press conference on the steps of the Capitol. Surrounded by dozens of other members of the Republican conference, Johnson made brief remarks but then ignored reporters’ requests to answer questions. In the end, it wasn’t a press conference at all, but a victory lap.
EARLIER: Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) is trying to avoid the fate of three of his predecessors and capture almost the entire Republican majority of 221 in the House of Representatives to win the presidency today. This ends a three-week crisis that brought all developments to a standstill. Work in the lower room.
Voting is scheduled for 12:00 pm. ET/9:00 a.m. PT, as some Republicans predict Johnson will win in the first round. He is expected to be able to afford to lose by just four votes, a narrow margin that would give the candidates of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and House Majority Leader Tom Emmer (R-OH). MN).
Johnson is relatively little known outside the Republican conference. Sen. Susan Collins (R-MI) told CNN’s Susan Fox that she didn’t even know much about him and that she would Google his name.
When he emerged as the party’s nominee, the media focused on his defense of Donald Trump, who was trying to overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. Johnson has also supported a number of causes popular with the far right, including a statewide “Don’t Say Gay” law to limit discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools.
That’s an advantage when it comes to winning support from the far-right Republican Party, which has repeatedly rebelled against his choice of speakers, including former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who they see as too beholden to the establishment.
Over the past three weeks, dozens of reporters have covered GOP conference proceedings behind closed doors, often gathering interesting details about contests and other acrimony that illustrate divisions within the party. After Emmer was nominated to speak on Tuesday, it quickly became clear that he was finding it difficult to win over right-wing forces, and his fate was sealed when Trump challenged him on his social media platform Truth Social. Emmer voted to certify the results of the 2020 election in favor of Joe Biden, but in the days leading up to his candidacy for speaker, he touted his “strong working relationship” with the former president.
In contrast, Trump told reporters today that Johnson would be a “fantastic” speaker.
Later Tuesday, Republicans voted again behind closed doors, this time for Johnson. Unlike previous speaker offerings, there were signs that members, some frustrated by the spectacle of the speakers’ struggles, were willing to get behind him. As members grew more confident that Johnson would win in a House vote, they briefly opened their meeting to reporters. Johnson offered brief remarks but declined to answer questions about his role in overturning the outcome of the 2020 election. One member, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), told a reporter, ABC’s Rachel Scott News, to “shut up.”
Many Republicans have called their inability to unite behind a presidential candidate frustrating and a fiasco. CNN’s Jake Tapper called it a “clown car.” At the Capitol, the Republican Party’s search for a speaker took so long that even members of the Capitol Police joked among themselves that one of their own should get the job.
Johnson serves as vice chairman of the Republican conference, but if elected, he would still beat out far more experienced members for the top House post, second only to the presidency. A religious conservative, he served as a senior adviser and national media spokesperson for the Alliance Defense Fund, which fights gay marriage and same-sex adoption. He served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 2015 to 2017 before being elected to Congress.
The new leader will immediately face difficult tasks, including a $105 billion proposal from the Biden administration to provide emergency funding for Israel and Ukraine and for border security. While funding for Israel has strong support in Congress, Republicans in the House of Representatives have increasingly expressed skepticism or opposition to additional funding for Ukraine.
Funding for the federal government also expires on Nov. 17, meaning Congress faces another shutdown unless a new budget resolution is passed.
Another challenge: recovery from the bitter speaker battle. According to Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), when Johnson was nominated at the GOP convention, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) told members, “Trust has been broken and we have stalled.”
The speaker must also step into the fundraising cycle as a leader to raise money for Republican House candidates trying to maintain their majority. Democrats are already committed to portraying Johnson as dutiful to Trump.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote
Source: Deadline
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
