Mike Johnson is the new Speaker of the House nominee, and he should be voted in. He is a smart man who is more than capable of doing the job.
At the end of the long day on Tuesday, Johnson bested Byron Donalds of Florida to win the bid.
The House has been frozen since the removal of former speaker, Kevin McCarthy, three weeks ago. Many lawmakers are wanting to pass aid to Israel, and they cannot do that until a new speaker is elected. There is also a government funding deadline next month. A floor vote could be held as soon as noon Wednesday to vote on Johnson.
Johnson’s rise to speaker nominee came after a long, drama filled day. Republicans’ deep divisions and the power of its most-conservative members to control the party were in the spotlight once again. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R., Minn.) was chosen as the nominee around lunchtime, but he was dropped by dinner. Resistance from Trump supported Republicans destroyed his chances.
Johnson’s disassociation with GOP leaders has bode well for him through this process, and based on quotes from Republican representatives, he should get the votes.
“The conference just wanted something new. They did not want the old,” said Rep. Jodey Arrington (R., Texas).
Johnson also appeared to have won over at least some lawmakers who had thrown up roadblocks before, including Rep. Matt Gaetz (R., Fla.), who led the charge to oust McCarthy. Gaetz said he believed Johnson had “enthusiastic support” across the party.
Rep. Chip Roy (R., Texas) said Johnson was “the right guy at the right time.”
After multiple resets during this process of finding a new speaker, we could finally have our guy.
To hear Tony Katz’s thoughts on Mike Johnson’s nomination, click the link below.
