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Louisiana Republican Rep. Mike Johnson won the chamber’s House Speaker seat Wednesday against Democrat Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., landing with a 220-209 vote. Four members of Congress did not vote.
“It is the honor of a lifetime to have been elected the 56th Speaker of the House,” Johnson posted on X.
Johnson was nominated by the GOP chamber late Tuesday after Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer dropped out of the position after being nominated earlier that day. Shortly after winning the nomination, Johnson detailed his goals for the House, outlining key priorities and highlighting top issues he would address.
“As Israel is viciously attacked, Russia, China and our other adversaries are becoming more emboldened. Our national debt has surpassed $33.5 trillion, our southern border is overrun, violent crime is rampant, and the rising cost of living is crushing our constituents,” Johnson wrote.
He continued, “Powerful federal agencies have been weaponized against the people and their faith in government is nearly lost. The president is clearly incapable of leading and the Senate is unwilling.”
Johnson noted that through a seven-point priority list of “restoring trust” and “engaging members” by leading with an effective message, they “must govern well, and “expand” the Republicans’ “majority next year.”
Since 2016, Johnson has served as a member of the House and was reelected last year as Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference for the second time, according to Axios. He notably had unanimous support for the Speaker position, passing the needed 217 votes to be elected.
“We will restore trust in this body. We will advance a comprehensive conservative policy agenda, combat the harmful policies of the Biden Administration, and support our allies abroad. And we will restore sanity to a government desperately in need of it. Let’s get back to work,” Johnson stated.