Congressman Mike Johnson was re-elected as Speaker of the House on Friday in a vote of 218-215 with support from President-elect Trump. It was about 15 months after he took office amid controversy within the Republican Party. His original opponents, Rep. Keith Self of Texas and Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, replaced him and pushed him to the top, with Johnson winning on the first ballot. He will lead the most bitterly divided House in nearly a century, with 219 Republicans and 215 Democrats as of Friday. The last time a minority party won at least 215 seats was in the 1930s, when Republicans held a 218-216 lead.
As shown on Friday, Mr. Johnson will have little margin for error in implementing President Trump's policies.
“It has been the great honor of my life to serve alongside you in this institution,” Johnson told the House of Commons in his first speech since his election.
“This is a critical time in our nation's history, and as members of the 119th Congress, we are stewards of the great American Revolution that began almost exactly 250 years ago,” he said.
Johnson will claim the House speakership for the first time in 2023 with unanimous support from the Republican caucus, ending weeks of deadlock following the House's firing of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. He is the fourth Republican to win a majority vote in his caucus during the same period, but the first to win a majority vote on the House floor.
Johnson said early Friday that Republicans “have a real opportunity over the next two years to deliver meaningful spending reform to eliminate trillions of dollars of waste, fraud and abuse and end the weaponization of government.” said.
“As we advance President Trump's America First policies, I will lead House Republicans in reducing the size and scope of the federal government, holding bureaucrats accountable, and putting America on a more sustainable fiscal path,” he said on social media. I plan to move it to.'' .
The American people are demanding a break from the status quo and a return to fiscal health. That's why our people gave President Trump the White House and Republican control of both houses of Congress. If we don't fulfill our campaign promises…
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) January 3, 2025
Trump made it clear before the vote that he supported Johnson.
President Trump told Truth Social: “I wish Speaker of the House Mike Johnson the best of luck today. He's a great, talented guy, and his approval rating is close to 100%.” “Mike's victory today will be a huge victory for the Republican Party.”
Mr. Johnson was elected to Congress in 2016 to represent Louisiana's 4th District and is currently serving his fourth term. He is the shortest-serving member of Congress in more than 140 years. Johnson is a Christian and a member of Cypress Baptist Church in Benton, Louisiana.
From 2004 to 2012, Mr. Johnson served as director of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, the public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Prior to serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Louisiana House of Representatives, Johnson was an attorney and founder of the Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal organization that supports “religious freedom, free speech, the sanctity of life, marriage and marriage.” At the time, it was affiliated with the Alliance Defense Fund. Family and Parental Rights,” the website states.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla / Staff
michael faust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His articles have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, Christian Post, Leaf Chronicle, Toronto Star, and Knoxville News Sentinel.
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