Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson has won his bid for Speaker of the House.
Johnson won with 220 votes from House Republicans on Wednesday afternoon.
BREAKING: Louisiana @RepMikeJohnson has garnered enough support to become Speaker of the House. https://t.co/hcJ1DVjQqm
— Chris Bertman (@manofbert) October 25, 2023
The Louisiana representative’s election follows nearly a month of House Republican infighting after Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz spearheaded an effort to remove California Rep. Kevin McCarthy from the office of Speaker of the House. Seven other House Republicans joined Gaetz in the ousting of McCarthy, who is the first Speaker of the House in U.S. history to be removed from the seat.
Late Tuesday, Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson secured the GOP nomination for Speaker with unanimous 128 votes of present House Republicans. Three House Republicans were absent from the Tuesday ballot but reportedly said they would support a Johnson Speakership.
“Democracy is messy sometimes, but it is our system,” Johnson told reporters after the Republican Conference selected him as Speaker-Designate. “This Conference that you see, this House Republican majority is united.”
GOP speaker nominee @RepMikeJohnson: "Democracy is messy sometimes, but it is our system. This conference that you see, this House Republican majority, is united." pic.twitter.com/YBuG2esWd4
— CSPAN (@cspan) October 25, 2023
“I’m honored to have the support of my colleagues,” he added. “America is the last best hope of man on the earth.”
Johnson also expressed support for Israel in the wake of the attack by Islamic militant group Hamas earlier this month.
Former President Donald Trump, who previously endorsed former Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan in his bid to succeed McCarthy, said he would not announce an official endorsement for Speaker, though threw support behind Johnson in a Tuesday Truth Social post.
Three other candidates were nominated for Speaker of the House by the GOP prior to Johnson including House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Jordan, and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer.
Scalise withdrew his candidacy for Speaker after reports indicated they would be unable to secure a majority 217 votes in Congress in a floor vote.
Jordan was removed as the GOP nominee in a secret ballot held by the Republican Conference on Friday after he failed to secure a majority vote in Congress across three ballots.
On Tuesday, Emmer received the GOP nomination with a vote of 117-97, though withdrew his candidacy hours later after critics, including the former President, took aim at the Majority Whip for previous remarks about abolishing the electoral college.
Other House Republicans who launched bids for Speaker include Michigan Rep. Jack Bergman, Oklahoma Rep. Kevin Hern, Pennsylvania Rep. Dan Meuser, Alabama Rep. Gary Palmer, Georgia Rep. Austin Scott, Texas Rep. Pete Sessions, and Florida Rep. Byron Donalds.
