In a surprising turn of events, newly-minted Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has managed to unite the fractured House Republican Conference, ending three weeks of turmoil and multiple failed attempts to fill the speakership after the ousting of ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. Johnson, who was hardly considered a frontrunner, was elected by a unanimous House Republican caucus after a late-night conference vote behind closed doors. One GOP lawmaker who was in the room during the vote expressed confidence in Johnson, stating, "I think he has it."
However, tensions ran high during the marathon day of meetings, with several lawmakers vying for the title of speaker. Two GOP lawmakers revealed that McCarthy objected to suspending conference rules to expedite making Johnson speaker-designate. McCarthy's objection sparked a heated debate among the lawmakers, with one of them describing McCarthy's response as an “outburst” and accusing him of working behind the scenes against every speaker-designate thus far, including Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Tom Emmer, R-Minn.
According to a source familiar with the discussions, McCarthy attempted to block Johnson only when it became clear that he had the votes to win. The source also revealed that McCarthy refused to endorse Scalise after he secured the GOP nomination two weeks ago and worked behind the scenes to support a resolution empowering interim Speaker Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., when Jordan began to lose support.
There were even rumors of a plan to reinstate McCarthy and give Jordan some sort of assistant speaker position, which was described as an attempt by McCarthy to "seize power again." Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., placed the blame squarely on McCarthy for the state of paralysis in the House ahead of the vote on Johnson, accusing him of orchestrating and manipulating the situation.
Despite McCarthy's alleged efforts, Johnson emerged as the clear winner during the closed-door speaker election. Multiple lawmakers revealed that some holdouts not voting for the nominees were voting for McCarthy. However, Johnson received unanimous support from every Republican present during the roll call vote, securing a decisive victory and ending the Republican Party's struggles to elect a new House Speaker.
Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who led the effort to oust McCarthy, expressed his support for Johnson, praising him as a "good godly man" who would advance the Republican Party. Gaetz cited Johnson's support for single subject appropriations bills as one of the reasons why he attracted conference members. Johnson himself expressed gratitude for the support and vowed to serve the people of the country and restore faith in Congress.
While Johnson's nomination still needs to be confirmed with a floor vote, Republicans are hopeful that he will become the next House speaker. Rep. Steve Scalise, R.-La., released a statement calling Johnson "honest, hardworking, and principled" and expressing confidence in his ability to lead. Other Republican lawmakers echoed Scalise's sentiments, emphasizing the unity and confidence within the party.
The vote for Johnson's speakership is expected to take place on Wednesday afternoon, bringing an end to the uncertainty that has plagued the House Republican Conference for the past three weeks.
