The whirlwind in Washington, D.C. surrounding leadership on Capitol Hill has come to an end with Congressman Mike Johnson of Louisiana being elected House speaker with 220 votes.
Following the ousting of Rep. Kevin McCarthy from the position, Republicans floated three possible options for the gavel before settling on a candidate able to reach the necessary threshold of votes to obtain speakership.
Johnson, who serves as House Republican conference vice chair, threw his hat in the ring after fellow Pelican State congressman Steve Scalise, Ohio representative Jim Jordan, and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer were unsuccessful in their attempts to replace McCarthy.
Scalise, the initial GOP nominee for speakership, removed himself from contention due to an inability to secure enough Republican support to ensure he would be elected in a floor vote. Emmer followed in Scalise’s footsteps.
Jordan, on the other hand, took three failed floor votes before the conservative firebrand’s colleagues removed him from further contention last Friday.
Democratic nominee Hakeem Jeffries of New York received overwhelming support from members of his party and even earned more votes than Jordan. However, he did not earn enough Republican support to reach the 217 mark needed to attain speakership.
Mississippi’s three GOP representatives Mike Ezell, Michael Guest, and Trent Kelly voted in favor of Johnson as the Louisiana representative received unanimous Republican support during Wednesday’s floor vote. The Magnolia State’s lone Democratic congressman, Bennie Thompson, voted against Johnson.
The U.S. will now be able to pass major legislation such as spending bills ahead of a possible mid-November shutdown and further financial aid to both Ukraine and Israel amid wars plaguing the two countries.
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