Source: The Washington Post / Getty
Republican Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana was elected speaker of the House Wednesday by a vote of 220-209.
Johnson, 51, grew up the son of a firefighter in Shreveport, La. Since 2017, he had represented a congressional district of 761,000 people that includes his hometown and much of the state’s western area. He has been the 5th-ranking member of House Republican leadership.
The Louisiana Republican got a law degree at Louisiana State University and spent nearly two decades working mostly for conservative legal groups who focused on issues of importance to religious conservatives.
Johnson is an ally of former President Donald Trump and defended him during the Democrat-led House impeachment hearings. He also filed an amicus brief co-signed of 100 House Republicans to support Texas litigation seeking to overturn the 2020 election results in four states: Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. He was the chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee at the time.
“President Trump called me this morning to let me know how much he appreciates the amicus brief we are filing on behalf of Members of Congress,” Johnson posted on X on Dec. 9, 2020. “Indeed, ‘this is the big one!”
Trump congratulated Johnson after he won the Speaker’s gavel.
“I just want to congratulate Mike Johnson. He will be a great speaker of the House, and we were very happy to have helped,” Trump said to reporters outside a New York courtroom Wednesday. “I’ve known him for a long time. He’s a tremendous leader and a tremendous man.”
