House Republicans say ‘we are united’ behind the Louisiana congressman, the conference’s 4th speaker pick in 3 weeks.
House Republicans named their fourth, and possibly final, speaker designate on Oct. 24—just hours after their third candidate was nominated and then withdrew for lack of support. The development capped off an extraordinary day as the chamber hit three weeks without a speaker.
Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) was elected with 128 votes in an evening session after losing to Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) that morning. Mr. Emmer had resigned within four hours having unsuccessfully tried to persuade about 25 Republican holdouts to support his candidacy, which was opposed by former President Donald Trump.
A confirming voice vote was taken following the nominating ballot. When reporters asked how many votes Mr. Johnson had received, excited conference members shouted, “All of them!” suggesting that the group had reached a consensus.
There were no votes in opposition, though three members voted “present” and about 19 were absent, according to lawmakers. Mr. Johnson, however, was confident that he would gain the full support of the conference.
A vote on the House floor was scheduled for noon on Oct. 25.
“I’m honored to have the support of my colleagues,” Mr. Johnson told reporters inside the conference room after the event. “This is servant leadership. We’re going to serve the people of this country. We’re going to restore their faith in this country,” he added, promising swift action to reform the way government works. “We are going to serve you well.”
This level of unity among Republicans has proven elusive over the past three weeks as a total of 15 members have vied for the speakership with none able to claim victory. Mr. Johnson’s nearly unanimous nomination promises the end of an agonizing process that revealed deep divisions within the Republican conference.
Candidates for the fourth round of nominations included Reps. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) and Mike Johnson (R-La.), who had competed against Mr. Emmer earlier in the day.
They were joined by Reps. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn), Mark Green (R-Tenn.), and Roger Williams (R-Texas).
Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), who had also run in the previous round, withdrew from the race prior to the first ballot and endorsed Mr. Johnson.
