Representative Mike Johnson (R., La.), the fourth House Republican to be nominated for the speakership this month, secured the necessary 217 votes to be elected to the post on Wednesday afternoon, ending weeks of uncertainty within the caucus.
In a Wednesday afternoon election against Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.), whom Democrats unanimously rallied behind, Johnson garnered 220 votes compared to his competitor’s 209 votes.
The Republican speaker nominee became the fourth contestant in the running against Jeffries hours after Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R., Minn.) dropped his bid Tuesday afternoon. House Judiciary chairman Jim Jordan (R., Ohio) and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R., La.), the two previous nominees for the presiding-officer role, also failed to secure enough support from their party.
Since Representative Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) was removed from the speakership over three weeks ago, the GOP conference repeatedly struggled to unite behind a candidate that could meet or surpass the 217-vote threshold. There are only 221 Republicans in the lower chamber, meaning each candidate couldn’t afford to lose more than four votes. Johnson only lost one.
Before turning the floor over to the Wednesday vote, Representative Elise Stefanik (R., N.Y.), chairwoman of the House Republican conference, said Johnson was the best candidate to become the next speaker as “we live in perilous times and the American people are hurting.”
“House Republicans and speaker Mike Johnson will never give up,” she added, amid Republican applause. “Today is the day to get this done.”
While rising to nominate Jeffries as the Democratic candidate once again, Representative Pete Aguilar (D., Calif.) criticized the Republican nominee for being an ally to former president Donald Trump, calling Johnson “the most important architect of the Electoral College objections” to the 2020 presidential-election results.
Johnson and over 100 other House Republicans, in an effort to challenge President Joe Biden’s electoral victory, signed an amicus brief in support of a Texas lawsuit that sought to overturn the election results in four key states: Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The lawsuit asked the Supreme Court to delay the electoral votes in the four states until investigations into the voting rules could be made. The highest court ultimately rejected the legal effort.
Since the beginning of October, the House remained paralyzed without an acting speaker. The inaction came at a time of crisis when the White House called on Congress to approve over $100 billion in U.S. aid to Israel and Ukraine during their respective wars, a legislative package that the House couldn’t vote on until a permanent speaker was elected. Representative Patrick McHenry (R., N.C.) formerly served as speaker pro tempore, which primarily gave him the authority to preside over the recent elections.
The House also faces a funding deadline of November 17, when congressmen must pass 12 spending bills before the federal government partially shuts down. Congress narrowly avoided a shutdown last month by approving a 45-day continuing resolution that keeps the government funded until mid-November.
Unlike Emmer and the other GOP candidates, Johnson received enough support from his partisan colleagues to win the speakership.
Speaking with National Review late Tuesday evening, Representative Bob Good (R., Va.), one of the eight Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy on October 3, called Johnson “a person of high character, of impeccable integrity, admired and respected in the conference.”
House Budget chairman Jodey Arrington, who gave Johnson’s nominating speech Tuesday night, told National Review: “I’m just pleased that we have a person of the caliber and character of Mike Johnson to lead this conference at such a critical and consequential time for our country.”
Representative John Duarte (R., Calif.) also believed Johnson was the right man for the job in uniting the conference and getting the House back in session.
“I think there’s going to be acquiescence to the speaker. I think there’s going to be functioning within the conference. I think we’re gonna get Congress rolling,” he told National Review. “We’re gonna pass a lot of legislation, and we’re all looking to get back to work. So I do think there’ll be cohesion within the conference, in terms of functioning through this legislative session.”
Politics reporter Audrey Fahlberg contributed to this report.