Western Pennsylvania's House members vote along party lines for Rep. Mike Johnson as speaker
WASHINGTON (AP/KDKA) - Republicans eagerly elected Rep. Mike Johnson as House speaker on 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, 51, of Louisiana, swept through 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 was quickly sworn into office.
"We are ready to get to work again," he said after taking the gavel.
To the American people watching he said, "Our mission here is to serve you well and to restore the people's faith in this House."
Western Pennsylvania's House members -- Republican Reps. Mike Kelly, Guy Reschenthaler and Glenn Thompson and Democratic Reps. Chris Deluzio and Summer Lee -- voted along party lines in the election.
In statements, Kelly and Reschenthaler applauded Johnson as a conservative leader who can unite Republicans. But Democrats Lee and Deluzio called him an extremist, both pointing to his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
A lower-ranked member of the House GOP leadership team, Johnson emerged as the fourth Republican nominee in what had become an almost absurd cycle of political infighting since Kevin McCarthy's ouster as GOP factions jockeyed for power. While not the party's top choice for the gavel, the 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.
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.
Far-right members had refused to accept a more traditional speaker, and moderate conservatives didn't want a hard-liner. While Johnson had no opponents during a private party roll call late Tuesday, some two dozen Republicans did not vote, more than enough to sink his nomination.
But when GOP Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik rose to introduce Johnson's name Wednesday as their nominee, Republicans jumped to their feet for a standing ovation.
"House Republicans and Speaker Mike Johnson will never give up," she said.
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 to Democrat Joe Biden.
With Republicans controlling the House only 221-212 over Democrats, Johnson could afford just a few detractors to win the gavel. He won 220-209, with a few absences.
Jeffries said House Democrats will work with Republicans whenever possible for the "good of the country."