Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson has secured the fourth GOP nomination for Speaker of the House.
Johnson nabbed the GOP nomination Tuesday evening after former GOP Speaker-Designate Tom Emmer dropped out of the race.
“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.”
“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.
The Speaker-Designate garnered 128 votes from the Republican Conference with only three Members absent from the vote, though the absent Members reportedly said they would support the Louisiana representative. Former President Trump said he would not endorse any other Speaker candidates, though did express support for Johnson in a Truth Social post.
The House is scheduled to hold a new ballot on the floor today at noon.
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
During the post-ballot press conference, one reporter referenced Johnson’s support for Trump during the 2020 presidential election and suggested he “helped lead the efforts to overturn the 2020 election.”
Johnson shook his head as fellow House Republicans around him began booing the reporter.
The new Speaker-Designate said he was “very confident” he would secure Speakership on Wednesday.
Johnson serves as the deputy whip and vice chair of the GOP conference and previously served as the conservative Republican Study Committee caucus.
On Tuesday, House Majority Whip Emmer secured the GOP nomination for Speaker, though withdrew his candidacy several hours later after critics, including Trump, criticized his effectiveness as a potential Speaker.
Trump said Emmer didn’t respect the “Power of a Trump Endorsement” or the “breadth and scope of MAGA-MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
The former president also said Emmer has spent more time defending Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar than Trump.
“He is totally out of touch with Republican voters,” Trump added, criticizing the legitimacy of Emmer’s claims of supporting the former President.
“Has he only changed because that’s what it takes to win?” Trump asked. “The Republican Party cannot take that chance, because that’s not where the American First Voters are.”
“Voting for a Globalist RINO like Tom Emmer would be a tragic mistake!” Trump concluded.
Prior to Emmer’s nomination, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise had secured the GOP nomination, though withdrew his candidacy after he was unable to secure a majority 217 votes to assume Speakership. Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan was later selected as the GOP nominee for Speaker, though was unable to secure 217 votes in Congress across three ballots held last week.
Jordan was removed as the GOP nominee on Friday after the Republican Conference held a secret ballot.
Johnson’s nomination for Speaker follows weeks of House Republican infighting after Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz spearheaded the effort to remove McCarthy from the seat.
McCarthy is the first Speaker in U.S. history to be ousted from the office.
