WASHINGTON — Rep. Mike Johnson, a comparatively little-known Louisiana Republican and low-ranking member of the GOP management group, grew to become the get together’s latest nominee for House speaker Tuesday night time after three different hopefuls fizzled out.
He was nominated simply hours after Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., beat Johnson and 6 different candidates to seize the nomination, solely to shortly drop his bid after he failed to safe the near-unanimous GOP help wanted on the House flooring.
Johnson, the GOP Convention vice chair, may endure a destiny comparable to Emmer’s. It stays unclear whether or not he can garner the 217 Republican votes — a easy majority of the total House — wanted to win the coveted gavel.
A flooring vote may occur as quickly as Wednesday afternoon.
Elected to Congress in 2016, Johnson, 51, is widespread and well-liked amongst his Republican colleagues, and he has fastidiously averted making many political enemies on Capitol Hill.
Johnson has a broad base of help, following a path comparable to these of two of his political mentors: Majority Chief Steve Scalise, a fellow Louisianan, and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio, each of whom additionally received nominations for speaker however dropped out. All three started as state legislators earlier than they received seats in Congress and had been head of the Republican Research Committee, the biggest caucus of conservatives in Congress, earlier than they moved up to management posts.
Johnson is in search of to obtain one thing the final three nominees failed to do: win no less than 217 of the 221 Republican votes wanted to develop into speaker. It will likely be Johnson’s determination whether or not and when to maintain such a vote. Jordan held a number of votes and failed, whereas Scalise and Emmer bowed out earlier than they held any flooring votes, recognizing they did not have a path to victory.
Nationally, Johnson has largely flown below the radar, avoiding the inflammatory rhetoric or theatrical moments many lawmakers use to achieve consideration. However behind the scenes, he could be influential.
On Tuesday, as Johnson was in the operating to be speaker, the political group of former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., circulated a New York Times article that referred to as him “an important architect of the Electoral Faculty objections” on Jan. 6, 2021, geared toward retaining then-President Donald Trump in energy despite the fact that he misplaced.
The Instances reported final yr that many Republicans who voted to low cost pro-Biden electors cited an argument crafted by Johnson, which was to keep away from the lies about mass fraud and as an alternative cling the objection on the declare that sure states’ voting adjustments in the pandemic had been unconstitutional.
One other wild card in the speaker’s race is Trump, who knifed Emmer on Tuesday after he received the nomination. Emmer voted to certify the 2020 election, drawing the ire of Trump allies.
Johnson picked up some momentum earlier than he obtained out of the gate. Earlier than voting even started, one rival, Republican Research Committee Chairman Kevin Hern, R-Okla., dropped out and threw his help behind Johnson.
And to win Tuesday night time, Johnson beat out the 4 remaining GOP candidates. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., was eradicated in the primary spherical after having come in final.
Small Enterprise Committee Chairman Roger Williams, R-Texas, was out after the second spherical after he earned the bottom vote complete, and Homeland Safety Committee Chairman Mark Inexperienced, R-Tenn., dropped out and endorsed Johnson, a GOP supply mentioned.
Within the third and remaining spherical, Johnson defeated Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., a Freedom Caucus member and one in all 4 Black Republicans in the House. The lopsided vote was 128 to 29, a GOP supply mentioned; 44 Republicans solid their ballots for another person.
McCarthy obtained 43 of these votes, whereas Jordan obtained one, in accordance to Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo. These 44 votes may create a giant headache for Johnson in a House flooring vote.
As votes had been being tallied, Rep. Randy Weber of Texas left the room and mentioned he’s not assured any of the candidates can get to 217, citing stage of help for individuals who weren’t even candidates.
When dozens of individuals “vote for ‘different’ — in police work they name {that a} clue,” he mentioned.
This text was initially printed on NBCNews.com
