Republican Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana became the House GOP’s fourth speaker nominee Tuesday evening following House Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s swift exit from the race.
Johnson is in his fourth term in Congress, serves as the House Republican Conference’s vice chairman and sits on the House Judiciary Committee and the House Armed Services Committee. In a speech following his nomination, Johnson emphasized the U.S.’s support for Israel following the Hamas terrorist attacks and touched on Congress’ agenda to tackle the appropriations process ahead of another potential government shutdown in November. (RELATED: Trump Weighs In On GOP’s New Speaker Nominee Ahead Of Floor Vote)
“Democracy is messy sometimes, but it is our system. This conference that you see, this House Republican majority, is united,” Johnson said. “I’m honored to have the support of my colleagues, and what they understand about this is this is servant leadership. We’re going to serve the people of this country, we’re going to restore their faith in this Congress, this institution of government. America is the last best hope of man on the earth — Abraham Lincoln said it, Ronald Reagan used to remind us all the time, and we’re here to remind you of that again. We’re going to restore your trust in what we do here.”
Johnson was one of the nine House Republicans vying for the speaker nomination on Tuesday, which House Majority Whip Tom Emmer ultimately won. After Emmer dropped out just hours later, Johnson defeated Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida, Chuck Fleischmann of Tennessee, Mark Green of Tennessee and Roger Williams of Texas for the nomination.
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
The congressman has been representing Louisiana’s fourth Congressional District since 2017 after he overwhelmingly secured the seat by over 30 points during the 2016 general election. He won reelection in 2018 and 2020 also with double digit margins, and won a fourth term outright in 2022. Prior to his time in Congress, Johnson served in Louisiana’s state Legislature and is also a lawyer.
Johnson has largely voted with House conservatives on key votes, including voting against certifying the 2020 election results, codifying same sex marriage, Ukraine aid and the 47-day continuing resolution to temporarily fund the government.
Former President Donald Trump encouraged House Republicans to vote for Johnson on the floor Wednesday in a Truth Social post, but refrained from officially endorsing the congressman.
“I am not going to make an Endorsement in this race, because I COULD NEVER GO AGAINST ANY OF THESE FINE AND VERY TALENTED MEN, all of whom have supported me, in both mind and spirit, from the very beginning of our GREAT 2016 Victory. In 2024, we will have an even bigger, & more important, WIN! My strong SUGGESTION is to go with the leading candidate, Mike Johnson, & GET IT DONE, FAST! LOVE, DJT ,” Trump wrote.
All three of the House GOP’s former speaker nominees — Emmer, House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan and Majority Leader Steve Scalise — have thrown their support behind Johnson for the role.
The House will vote on Johnson’s speaker bid at noon on Wednesday.
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