Republican Mike Johnson elected House speaker

United States Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) was elected House speaker with 220 votes on Wednesday afternoon.

Earlier this month, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) led an effort to remove Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from speakership.

McCarthy was elected House speaker earlier this year, but only after 15 rounds of voting. On October 3, for the first time in the nation's history, lawmakers voted to remove a speaker. The following day, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) announced his plans to run for the position, but he failed to accumulate enough votes on Friday to secure a win.

Nine Republican lawmakers joined the race on Monday, including Mike Johnson of Louisiana, Byron Donalds of Florida, and Tom Emmer of Minnesota.

Gaetz voiced support for Johnson, calling him a "good, godly man who's going to advance Republicans."

On Wednesday, three weeks after McCarthy was ousted, Johnson was elected House speaker with 220 votes.

"It is the honor of a lifetime to have been elected the 56th Speaker of the House," Johnson wrote on X following the vote. "It has been an arduous few weeks, and a reminder that the House is as complicated and diverse as the people we represent. The urgency of this moment demands bold, decisive action to restore trust, advance our legislative priorities, and demonstrate good governance. Our House Republican Conference is united, and eager to work."

"As Speaker, I will ensure the House delivers results and inspires change for the American people," Johnson continued. "We will restore trust in this body. We will advance a comprehensive conservative policy agenda, combat the harmful policies of the Biden Administration, and support our allies abroad. And we will restore sanity to a government desperately in need of it. Let's get back to work."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!