AENN

Oct. 24, 2023 9:09 pm

Representative Mike Johnson (R-LA 4th District), vice chair of the House GOP conference, has been named the GOP Speaker-Designate.

The announcement came after a closed-door meeting among House Republicans, where Johnson emerged as the consensus candidate.

The race for the House Speaker position within the Republican Party took an unexpected turn on Tuesday when Tom Emmer (MN) abruptly withdrew his candidacy. The move came just hours after former President Donald Trump blasted Emmer in a scathing post on Truth Social, his social media platform. Emmer’s withdrawal has opened the floodgates for a new batch of GOP lawmakers who have thrown their hats into the ring.

Emmer’s withdrawal has led to a surge of new candidates vying for the Speaker’s chair. The officially announced candidates to the House Republican Conference were:

Byron Donalds (FL)
Chuck Fleischmann (TN)
Mark Green (TN)
Mike Johnson (LA)
Roger Williams (TX)

During the second round of secret ballot voting, the list of candidates was narrowed down to:

Byron Donalds (FL)
Mark Green (TN)
Mike Johnson (LA)
Roger Williams (TX)

In the third round of voting, only two candidates remained on the ballot:

Byron Donalds (FL)
Mike Johnson (LA)

During the final round, Johnson reportedly received 128 votes, with Rep. Byron Donalds getting 29. He is now the fourth Speaker Designate for the House.

Congratulations Speaker-designate @RepMikeJohnson!

— Rep. Elise Stefanik (@RepStefanik) October 25, 2023

Johnson got it! Byron is fully backing him. Speaker vote tomorrow at noon!

— Anna Paulina Luna (@realannapaulina) October 25, 2023

Looks like we’re getting a speaker tomorrow. Massive support. Let’s go Mike Johnson! @RepMikeJohnson !

— Anna Paulina Luna (@realannapaulina) October 25, 2023

Mike Johnson, surrounded by House Republicans, talking to press and says the conference is united and “ready to govern.” pic.twitter.com/UsusT6SAHl

— Cami Mondeaux (@cami_mondeaux) October 25, 2023

“Mike! Mike! Mike!”

The House GOP has allowed reporters into the conference and the room appears united behind Mike Johnson for House Speaker. pic.twitter.com/rNPH63Klyx

— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) October 25, 2023

During the roll call validation vote, nearly all GOP members signaled their willingness to back Johnson for Speaker on the House floor, with only three members opting to vote “present.” Additionally, 22 members were absent from the vote. Johnson expressed his intent to engage with both the members who voted “present” and those who were absent, stating, “I’ll be in discussions with them tonight,” according to CNN.

Who is Rep. Mike Johnson?

According to Social Media Strategist Joey Mannarino, Mike Johnson boasts a Liberty Score of 74%. A representative from Louisiana, Johnson has been a member of Congress since 2017 and has a generally strong voting record.

He played a key role in initiating the Texas Amicus Brief in 2020 and voted against the certification of the 2020 election results, which he viewed as fraudulent. Johnson has been selective in supporting funding for Ukraine, only voting in favor of the initial funding bill.

A strong advocate for national security, Johnson backed Trump’s travel ban on countries considered to be hotbeds of terrorism. He also served on Trump’s legal defense team during both the 2019 and 2020 Senate impeachment trials.

On the social front, Johnson is decidedly conservative. In 2022, he introduced the Stop the Sexualization of Children Act, aimed at preventing federally funded institutions from promoting the sexualization and transgenderization of children.

Additionally, Johnson is a personal friend with Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

Meet Mike Johnson – the fourth Speaker Designate for the House, receiving 127 votes from the GOP conference.

Mike has a Liberty Score of 74%.

He’s from the state of Louisiana and has served in Congress since 2017.

His voting record is mostly solid.

He was instrumental in… pic.twitter.com/MVg0MSjMtf

— Joey Mannarino (@JoeyMannarinoUS) October 25, 2023

Here’s a video where Rep. Johnson stands up for President Trump, countering the Democrats’ unfounded impeachment charges.

Ladies and Gentlemen… MIKE JOHNSON!!! pic.twitter.com/O9zT2RWBzl

— il Donaldo Trumpo (@PapiTrumpo) October 25, 2023

Here’s another video of Rep. Johnson in a hearing with DHS Secretary Mayorkas. Rep. Johnson grilled Mayorkas on the topic of government censorship and the Missouri v. Biden case, in which The Gateway Pundit is a plaintiff.

BREAKING: Rep. Mike Johnson has received the GOP nomination for Speaker of the House. I had no idea who Mike Johnson was, so I looked him up and found this video. This is Mike Johnson. What are your thoughts? pic.twitter.com/XBuZoR5FDQ

— DEL (@delinthecity_) October 25, 2023

Here’s another video of Rep. Johnson calling the sham January 6 hearing “third impeachment of Donald Trump.”