After Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was voted out of office three weeks ago, House Republicans nominated Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) as speaker on Tuesday night.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), who had been the third nominee for about four hours, withdrew, making Johnson, the vice chairman of the House Republican Conference, the third unsuccessful nominee in addition to House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH). Johnson won on Capitol Hill.
Given that Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R-NC) gaveled the chamber out until noon on Wednesday, the next House floor vote might take place as soon as then.
If all Democrats oppose Johnson’s candidacy for speakership, he can only afford to lose a few GOP votes due to the Republicans’ slim majority in the House. Democrats have so far united behind Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) as their nominee.
Tuesday afternoon saw a flurry of activity culminate in Emmer winning the GOP nomination, though it required many ballots. 117-97 was his victory over Johnson on the fifth and final ballot.
In order to determine how much support Emmer would receive in a House floor vote, about two dozen Republicans later opposed him in a roll call vote.
The House GOP convened another round of voting for the nomination in the early evening following a new candidate forum. Representatives Johnson, Byron Donalds (R-FL), Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN), and Mark Green (R-TN) were among the declared contenders.
Following the candidate forum, Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX), the fifth candidate, declared his late entry. Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK), yet another rival, withdrew and supported Johnson prior to the start of voting.
With 128 votes, Johnson defeated Donalds—the only other declared contender at that time—in the third round of voting.
Compared to earlier in the day, when the votes were held, fewer people attended. In the end, McCarthy received over forty votes from members, while Donalds received only twenty-nine.
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