WASHINGTON — Republicans eagerly elected Rep. Mike Johnson as House speaker Wednesday, elevating a deeply conservative but lesser-known leader to the seat of U.S. power and ending for now the political chaos in their majority.
Johnson of Louisiana swept on the first ballot with support from all Republicans anxious to put the past weeks of tumult behind and get on with the business of governing.
A lower-ranked member of the House GOP leadership team, Johnson emerged as the fourth Republican nominee in what has become an almost absurd cycle of political infighting since Kevin McCarthy's ouster as GOP factions jockey for power. While not the party's top choice for the gavel, the deeply religious and even-keeled Johnson has few foes and an important GOP backer: Donald Trump.
“I think he’s gonna be a fantastic speaker,” Trump said Wednesday at the New York courthouse where the former president, who is now the Republican front-runner for president in 2024, is on trial over a lawsuit alleging business fraud.
Trump said he hadn't heard “one negative comment about him. Everybody likes him.”
>Click here for the most recent information.
LIVE UPDATES:
Wednesday:
1:58 p.m.: Rep. Mike Johnson sends his first tweet as Speaker of the House. He said:
It is the honor of a lifetime to have been elected the 56th Speaker of the House.
Thank you to my colleagues, friends, staff, and family for the unmatched support throughout this process.
It has been an arduous few weeks, and a reminder that the House is as complicated and diverse as the people we represent. The urgency of this moment demands bold, decisive action to restore trust, advance our legislative priorities, and demonstrate good governance. Our House Republican Conference is united, and eager to work.
As Speaker, I will ensure the House delivers results and inspires change for the American people. We will restore trust in this body. We will advance a comprehensive conservative policy agenda, combat the harmful policies of the Biden Administration, and support our allies abroad. And we will restore sanity to a government desperately in need of it. Let’s get back to work.
1:51 p.m.: Republicans celebrate on the House floor after electing a new speaker now three weeks after Congress has been at a stand-still after Rep. Kevin McCarthy's ouster from the position.
1:48 p.m.: Rep. Mike Johnson crosses the threshold needed to become Speaker of the House – two heartbeats away from the presidency.
1:30 p.m.:
1:28 p.m.: 1st term, swing-district Virginia Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans, who voted against Jim Jordan in each of his 3 ballots, votes for Mike Johnson.
1:26 p.m.: Standing O for Jim Jordan as he casts his vote for Mike Johnson.
1:17 p.m.: Standing ovation for Tom Emmer (R-MN) as he votes for Mike Johnson. Emmer was the GOP Speaker nominee for less than 4 hours yesterday.
1:06 p.m.: The House Speaker vote has begun. These roll call votes of 429 members generally take around 45 minutes.
12:55 p.m.: GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik rises to nominate Mike Johnson as speaker
12:50 p.m.: The House has been gaveled into order. 429 members present. Only one Republican absent. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) is in Israel.
Tuesday:
10:41 p.m. House GOP members applaud Johnson, yelling "Mike! Mike! Mike!"
10:39 p.m. House GOP plan to go to the floor Wednesday at noon
10:09 p.m. Rep. Dan Crenshaw says GOP is doing roll call "validation vote" to see how close Johnson is to 217 votes
9:54 p.m. The House GOP has chosen its second Speaker nominee of the day: Mike Johnson of Louisiana
9:36 p.m. Third round of voting underway, no candidate achieved majority in second round.
9:17 p.m. Second round of voting of the evening
9:09 p.m. First round vote is complete:
- Johnson -85
- Donalds -32
- Green - 23
- Williams-21
- Fleishmann- 10- is OUT
- 30 votes for other
8:40 p.m. Counting for the first round of voting is underway.
8:36 p.m. One member says thirty minutes into the "Conference voting session" no voting has taken place.
7:34 p.m. Congressman Roger Williams of Texas believes he can get to 217.
6:35 p.m. There will not be a vote on the House floor Tuesday night.
5:45 p.m. Six new GOP candidates announced, including representatives from Florida, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana.
5 p.m. A new candidate forum is announced, which is expected to be held at 6 p.m.
4:30 p.m.: Emmer drops out of the race for Speaker before a vote can occur.
2:20 p.m.: Former President Donald Trump calls Emmer a RINO and says he is not the right choice for the speaker position.
2:00 p.m. House GOP conference in recess until 4 p.m.
1:47 p.m. Rep Jim Banks says he will not vote for Emmer, who can only afford to lose three more GOP votes.
1:20 p.m.: Republicans expect to take another roll call vote.
12:30 p.m.: Republicans picked Rep. Tom Emmer as their nominee for House speaker on Tuesday, as they try for a third time to fill the top leadership position and get Congress back to work. The next-highest vote getter was Rep. Mike Johnson
11 a.m.: House Republicans begin their close-door meeting to select a nominee for House speaker.
The federal government risks a shutdown in a matter of weeks if Congress fails to pass funding legislation by a Nov. 17 deadline to keep services and offices running. More immediately, President Joe Biden has asked Congress to provide $105 billion in aid — to help Israel and Ukraine amid their wars and to shore up the U.S. border with Mexico. Federal aviation and farming programs face expiration without action.
Those running for speaker are mostly conservatives and election deniers, who either voted against certifying the 2020 presidential election results, when Biden defeated Trump, in the run up to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, or joined a subsequent lawsuit challenging the results.
Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, the hard-right leader who engineered McCarthy's ouster, has said several of those in the running — Hern, Donalds or Rep. Mike Johnson, a constitutional law expert from Louisiana, would make a “phenomenal” choice for speaker.
Also running are Reps. Jack Bergman of Michigan, Austin Scott of Georgia, who had briefly challenged Jordan with a protest bid, Pete Sessions of Texas and Gary Palmer of Alabama. Rep. Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania withdrew from the race.
What Gaetz and other hard-liners are resisting is a leader who joined in voting for the budget deal that McCarthy struck with Biden earlier this year, which set federal spending levels that the far-right Republicans don't agree with and now want to undo. They are pursuing steeper cuts to federal programs and services with next month's funding deadline.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said she wanted assurances the candidates would pursue impeachment inquiries into Biden and other top Cabinet officials.
Republicans gathered late in the evening Monday to hear quick speeches from the congressmen seeking the job, elevator pitches ahead of Tuesday's internal party voting. They have also heard from voters back home who want them to get back to work and appeared ready to try to move on.
“There seems to be some sort of compromise in the room,” said Rep, Nick LaLota, a more centrist New York Republican after the hours-long session.
Senior-most among the hopefuls is Emmer, and he and others are reaching out to Trump for backing.
“They all called asking for support,” said Trump, the Republican front-runner in the 2024 presidential race, who was in New Hampshire registering for the state’s primary ballot.
Trump downplayed, even derided, Emmer, the third-ranking House Republican with whom he has had a rocky relationship, while presenting himself as a kingmaker who talks to “a lot of congressmen” seeking his stamp of approval.
Of Emmer, Trump said, “I think he’s my biggest fan now, because he called me yesterday and told me I’m your biggest fan.”
Yet factional power plays run strong on Capitol Hill among the so-called “five families” that make up the House Republican majority.
Launched over right-flank complaints about McCarthy's leadership in budget battles, it's no longer clear what the House Republicans are fighting for and if they will end up with a more acceptable speaker.
