By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
We have a new Speaker of the US House.
Republicans in Washington put their difference behind them to unite in elevating Louisiana Congressman Mike Johnson as Speaker. Johnson was the fourth Republican nominee after the first three fell to the same Republican in-fighting that led to the unprecedented ouster of Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California.
Northern Missouri Congressman Sam Graves offered his support to the new Speaker, calling Johnson a consistent and passionate champion of conservative principles.
Graves, in a written statement released by his office, says he looks forward to working alongside him to secure the border, cut spending, and deliver the promises Republicans made to the American people.
Johnson won election on the first ballot with support from all Republicans. Johnson is described by many 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.”
Three weeks on without a House speaker, the Republicans have been wasting their majority status — a maddening embarrassment to some, democracy in action to others, but not at all how the House is expected to function. No business can be conducted in the United States House of Representatives without a Speaker duly elected by the entire body.
Republican Conference Chair Congresswoman Elise Stefanik rose to introduce Johnson's name as the party nominee, Republicans jumped to their feet for an extended standing ovation.
Democrats again nominated their leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, criticizing Johnson as an architect of Trump's legal effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election he lost.
Johnson received important endorsements leading to his election. Two high-ranking House Republicans who failed in their bid to succeed McCarthy backed Johnson, Congressman Jim Jordan, the Judiciary Committee chair, and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, the fellow Louisiana congressman.
Johnson's rise comes after a tumultuous month, capped by a head-spinning Tuesday that within a span of a few hours saw one candidate, Congressman Tom Emmer, the GOP Whip from Minnesota, nominated and then quickly withdraw when it became clear he would be the third candidate unable to secure enough support from Republican colleagues.
Attention quickly turned to Johnson. A lawyer specializing in constitutional issues, Johnson had rallied Republicans around Trump’s legal effort to overturn the 2020 election results.
Deeply religious, Johnson is affable and well liked, with a fiery belief system. Colleagues swiftly started giving their support.
“Democracy is messy sometimes, but it is our system,” Johnson said after winning the nomination. “We’re going to restore your trust in what we do here.”
Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, who led a small band of hard-liners to engineer McCarthy's ouster at the start of the month, posted on social media that “Mike Johnson won’t be the Speaker the Swamp wants but, he is the Speaker America needs.”
The Associated Press contributed to this article.