On Tuesday evening, Republican Louisiana Representative Mike Johnson emerged victorious as the nominee for House Speaker after a day filled with political drama within the GOP conference.
After securing the most votes in a conference meeting, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s hopes of becoming the next speaker were dashed when he realized he lacked the necessary support from Republicans to win a majority on the floor. As a result, he withdrew his bid for the speaker’s gavel.
Late on Tuesday evening, Johnson was able to secure a majority of votes through a secret ballot.
Johnson entered the political arena in 2015 when he secured a position in the state House, which he held until 2017.
The chaos in the House GOP continues to escalate as Tom Emmer, the latest nominee for Speaker, becomes the third person to be dropped from consideration in just three weeks.
Louisiana Representative Mike Johnson is among the contenders for the House speaker’s gavel, alongside several other Republicans. (Image credit: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Johnson, whose father was a firefighter, won a seat in Congress during the 2016 elections. He currently holds positions on the House Judiciary and Armed Services Committees.
At present, Johnson holds the position of vice chairman of the House Republican Conference for the second term. This role places him in a leadership position that primarily operates behind the scenes, away from the public eye.
Having previously served as the influential Republican Study Committee chairman, the Louisiana Republican would be the second nominee for speaker from the Pelican State, following the unsuccessful bid from House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
Before being elected to Congress, Johnson worked as a lawyer and served as the primary representative for the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian legal advocacy organization.
In the race for House Speaker, Rep. Mike Johnson has emerged as the fourth nominee. His fellow Republican and previous nominee, Rep. Jim Jordan, was unsuccessful in securing the role despite being chosen earlier this month. The House floor votes did not work in his favor. The photo accompanying this news shows Rep. Johnson on the center-left and Rep. Jordan on the center right.
According to Fox News Digital, Emmer withdrew from the speaker race just a few hours after being selected as the House Republicans’ nominee.
After five rounds of voting, Emmer emerged as the winner with a majority of the GOP Conference. He competed against six other potential candidates but ultimately came out on top.
Upon closer inspection, it was evident that acquiring enough backing to obtain a clear-cut victory in a House-wide vote was not feasible. Due to the precarious nature of the Republican majority, a GOP speaker-designate would need to ensure that only four members of their own party break ranks in order to secure the gavel without relying on Democratic support.
After securing the designated title, Emmer faced opposition from around 25 Republicans who declared that they would not back him in a House floor vote.
After the roll call, an increasing number of Republicans indicated that the conference needed to move on to a new nominee.
Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Montana, urged Johnson and Rep. Kevin Hern to enter the race again. Both lost earlier in the day to Emmer.
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