So, Who the Hell is Rep. Mike John Johnson?
There's likely a lot of Googling Mike Johnson on Capitol Hill and throughout America after he grabbed the speaker's gavel after three weeks of chaos in the House.
But in Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson is relatively well-known after serving four terms in the U.S. House and two years in the state House before that.
Johnson passes the Trump test as an ardent supporter of the former president who was a member of Trump's inner circle. He served on Trump's impeachment defense team in the former president's first impeachment trial and didn't vote to certify the 2020 election that Trump lost to President Joe Biden.
Johnson, 51, represents the 4th Congressional District with Shreveport-Bossier City as the population hub. He is a graduate of Captain Shreve High School and LSU. Johnson and his wife, Kelly, and their four children live in Benton, a suburb of Bossier in northwestern Louisiana.
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.
He's a constitutional law attorney and a rigid conservative on most social and fiscal issues ranging from abortion to gay marriage to spending.
"I'm a fearless, full-spectrum conservative," Johnson said in a previous interview with USA Today Network.
Speaker of the House, Rep. Mike Johnson – Acceptance speech.
Johnson's nomination comes after three weeks of tumult and infighting within the GOP, with three previously nominated candidates unable to secure enough support from their colleagues. But now, with Johnson in the running, Republicans seem eager to put the chaos behind them and move forward with governing.
The Louisiana congressman has a long history in politics, having served in the House since 2016 and previously in the Louisiana Legislature. He also has a successful record of getting his sponsored bills passed into law and is known for his policy-oriented and principled conservatism.
Johnson's nomination has received widespread support from his fellow Republicans, with former President Donald Trump calling him a "fantastic speaker" and praising his track record and likability among colleagues.
“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.
However, Johnson's close ties to Trump and his support for the former president's claims of election fraud have raised some concerns among his fellow Republicans.
Rep. Mike Johnson secured the speaker's gavel without losing any GOP votes Wednesday after weeks of party infighting left the House in chaos. The Louisiana lawmaker has been a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump and was a key congressional figure in the failed efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
About the vote: There were 220 votes for Johnson and 209 votes for Democrat Hakeem Jeffries. There was unanimous GOP support behind Johnson. One Republican – Rep. Derrick Van Orden – was absent from the vote.
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.
Many hard-liners have been resisting a leader who voted for the budget deal that McCarthy struck with Biden earlier this year, which set federal spending levels that 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 of Georgia said she wanted assurances the candidates would pursue impeachment inquiries into Biden and other top Cabinet officials.
Some Republicans — and Democrats — wanted to give McHenry more power to get on with the routine business of governing. But McHenry, the first person to be in the position that was created in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks as an emergency measure, declined to back those overtures. He, too, received a standing ovation.
Today’s election comes after three weeks without a speaker and three failed candidates, including House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) who withdrew from the race just hours after winning the GOP nomination for the role. Johnson's nomination follows a fresh round of voting on Tuesday night, where he was chosen by his colleagues to lead the House Republicans.
Despite some pushback, Johnson's nomination as the newest candidate for speaker indicates that he has the majority of House Republicans standing firmly behind him. And with the government facing a funding deadline and important legislation on the line, Republicans are eager to see Johnson take the helm and lead the House with his clear vision and plans for the future.
READ MORE:
REP. KEN BUCK SHARES WHY HE COULDN’T VOTE FOR EITHER SPEAKER CANDIDATE
REP. MATT GAETZ FILES MOTION TO OUST SPEAKER KEVIN MCCARTHY, THROWING HOUSE INTO NEW TURMOIL
COLORADO LEGISLATORS PLAY KEY ROLE IN OUSTING HOUSE SPEAKER KEVIN MCCARTHY
Johnson's nomination also marks a significant moment for his home state of Louisiana, as he will become the second high-ranking GOP leader from the state, with Rep. Steve Scalise as the Majority Leader.
With the support of his colleagues and the confidence of the party, Johnson is poised to become the next Speaker of the House. And as he said in his letter to colleagues, he is ready to "chart a new path" and restore the trust in Congress.