Johnson’s ascension to the speaker’s chair cements a fiercely pro-Trump, hard-line faction as the face of the national GOP. The speaker of the House is second in line, after the vice president, to fill any presidential vacancy.
The vote was 220-209, with House Republicans voting unanimously for Johnson and all Democrats present backing Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York.
The outcome thrusts Johnson, a former conservative talk radio host now in his fourth term, into the national spotlight.
(Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Johnson ran the Republican Study Committee, a group of socially conservative lawmakers, and served as vice chair of the House Republican caucus, a low-ranking party leadership post. But he has never chaired a congressional committee and will be the least experienced speaker in 140 years.
The Louisianan was a key player in former President Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Johnson not only voted against certifying some election results, he also helped rally over 100 House Republicans to sign a brief in support of a Texas-led effort to get the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn election results in four states won by then-candidate Joe Biden.
The lawsuit received stiff backlash not only from Democrats but also legal experts, who deemed it meritless and shallow.
A previous nominee, Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, was also deeply involved in election denialism, but he failed to get the support he needed to become speaker. Colorado Rep. Ken Buck, who voted for Johnson on Wednesday and against Jordan previously, said there was a key difference.
Ahead of the floor vote, Buck said that Johnson’s involvement was distinct from Jordan’s because Johnson focused his efforts on the legal system, which is “fundamentally different than somebody who is actively involved in moving the protesters from the mall” and to the Capitol, he told reporters.
Johnson supports new restrictions on the rights of LGBTQ Americans. Last year, he introduced legislation that would have banned federally funded institutions from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity. He is a fierce opponent of gender-affirming care for trans youth.
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, a Washington-based nonprofit that opposes abortion rights, awarded Johnson an A+ for his efforts to limit access to the medical procedure.
Democrats were publicly describing Johnson as an extremist even before he secured the gavel.
“House Republicans have bowed to former President Trump and nominated MAGA extremist Mike Johnson for speaker,” Illinois Rep. Robin Kelly wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “He plotted to overturn the 2020 election, supports criminalizing abortion, and wants to slash Social Security. Everyday Americans can’t afford his extremism.”
Before the vote, a handful of Democrats shook Johnson’s hand while Republicans stood in line to take selfies with the soon-to-be speaker.
Though Johnson is not a prolific fundraiser and has no national profile, he doesn’t carry the same political baggage that weighed down several previous candidates for the speakership.
An impending HBO documentary on a major sex abuse scandal at Ohio State University could have haunted Jordan if his colleagues had elevated him to the speakership. And House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana faced flak for reportedly attending an event in the early 2000s hosted by a group founded by David Duke, former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.
Johnson will need to negotiate with seasoned Democratic leadership, including Biden and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York, on a swath of pressing issues, including potential funding for Ukraine and Israel to aid them in their respective wars. He will also need to decide whether to make a deal with Democrats to fend off a Nov. 17 government shutdown that could leave military service members and other federal employees without pay ahead of the holidays.
Ahead of the floor vote, Johnson sketched out a one-year road for his conference, saying he would pass key appropriations bills by the end of this week.
The House GOP spent more than three weeks without a leader after eight Republicans, led by Florida’s Matt Gaetz, pushed McCarthy of Bakersfield out of the speaker’s chair on Oct. 3 with the help of House Democrats.
The historic vote left the lower chamber leaderless for 23 days and caused embarrassing infighting within the GOP conference to spill over into the public eye. Before Johnson, three other men who raised their hands for the role — Scalise; Jordan, chair of the Judiciary committee; and Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota — tried and failed to secure a majority.
Scalise dropped out less than one day after securing the nomination. Jordan endured three humiliating floor votes before being forced to abandon his effort. Emmer, who voted to certify the 2020 election results, quickly saw stiff opposition from far-right members and their leader, Trump, who knifed the Minnesotan on social media, imploring lawmakers to block his candidacy. Four hours after clinching the nomination, Emmer dropped out.
The revolving door of speaker nominees was never about finding the right person to lead the Republican conference, Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Redlands) said in a speech nominating Jeffries to the speakership. “This is about who can appease Donald Trump,” he said.
At least three Republicans stood and applauded in response.
Ahead of the floor vote, Trump made clear his support for Johnson.
Ed Rollins, a GOP strategist and former senior advisor to President Reagan, agreed with Aguilar’s assessment, saying that “there’s never been a president, in my lifetime, that’s ever played such a role in the House.”
“Historically presidents go and raise money,” he said. “But they don’t mess around with the speaker’s race.”
Logan reported from Washington and Pinho from Santa Barbara.