New House speaker faces tough task of uniting GOP

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican conservative who has been a devoted follower of former President Donald Trump, was elected Wednesday as the 56th speaker of the House — reopening the chamber for legislative business after a 21-day paralysis because of a fractious GOP conference.

Johnson was the GOP's fourth speaker nominee in three weeks, but the only one able to achieve a majority of votes, including from Iowa’s four-member congressional delegation, to clinch the speakership — unlike U.S. Reps. Steve Scalise (R-La.), Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) before him.

Johnson received 220 votes from all Republicans present. He also had the support of the former president, who wrote on his social media platform that he was not going to make an endorsement but that his "strong SUGGESTION" was to go with Johnson. All 209 Democrats present supported Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) instead.

Republicans erupted in cheers as the vote tally was announced and gave Johnson a standing ovation as he was officially declared the duly elected speaker.

“To my colleagues, I want to thank you all for the trust that you have instilled in me to lead us in this historic and unprecedented moment that we're in. The challenge before us is great, but the time for action is now — and I will not let you down," Johnson said.

Johnson also vowed to work with Democrats. "I know that in your heart you love and care about this country and you want to do what's right, and so we're going to find common ground there," he said.

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Johnson's election ends, at least for now, an intense period of chaos and doubt within the GOP over who should wield the speaker's gavel after Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was ousted from the position in a historic vote this month. But Johnson now faces the herculean task of uniting a deeply ideologically fractured conference that is tasked with averting a looming government shutdown, sending supplemental aid to Israel and other foreign countries, and passing reauthorization bills — including a Farm Bill.

Iowa's all-Republican House delegation — Ashley Hinson, Zach Nunn, Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Randy Feenstra, who were not entirely united in previous speaker votes — joined their Republican colleagues in this one.

Hinson, of Marion, called Johnson a constitutional conservative and "devout family man." She said in a statement he would advance conservative priorities, including single-subject appropriation bills, support for Israel and border security.

"The recent chaos and dysfunction is inexcusable, but it is time to move forward and focus on our legislative agenda," Hinson said. "If there is a silver lining to the past few weeks, it is the thoughtful ideas put forward by Speaker candidates to help Washington work better for the Americans we are lucky to serve."

Nunn, a freshman GOP representative who represents Central Iowa's 3rd Congressional District, in a statement repeated his criticism of the far-right Republicans who instigated McCarthy's ouster and said the House should get to work on passing a Farm Bill, cutting spending and securing the southern border.

"We are elected to serve the people, but instead, some are more focused on getting their five minutes of fame," Nunn said. "The American people deserve better."

The Iowa Democratic Party quickly criticized the Iowa Republican lawmakers for supporting someone who sought to overturn the presidential election and supports a strict abortion ban and, the party said, advocates changes to Social Security.

"There is no doubt that Zach Nunn, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Ashley Hinson, and Randy Feenstra just elected a speaker who satisfies the MAGA crowd requirements but certainly doesn’t reflect what’s best for Iowa," Iowa Democrats said.

Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley told reporters during a conference call Wednesday shortly after the vote that “praise the Lord, we have a speaker.”

Grassley, who strained to think whether he’s ever had any interactions with Johnson, said he’s looking forward to working with the new House leader.

“It’s all about getting the House back to work,” Grassley said. “… We lost three and a half weeks of the House doing nothing.”

Johnson, a four-term congressman who has flown mostly under the radar, became speaker less than 24 hours after he was nominated by the Republican conference, quickly gaining momentum in spite of — or perhaps because of — his low profile.

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"It's like, do I think you can keep the trains running on time? I may disagree with you on some stuff, but it doesn't matter if we're not in business," said Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.), capturing a sentiment echoed by many Republicans who have been worn down.

Democrats criticized Johnson's background as extreme, pointing to his opposition to certifying Joe Biden's electoral win, his vote against further Ukraine aid and his stances against abortion and LGBTQ rights. But even their criticism hinted at some resignation.

"It can't be much worse than what we've had," Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) told reporters. "I mean, McCarthy made a deal with the president and then betrayed the agreement. So that's the starting point."

Schiff serves with Johnson on the House Judiciary Committee but doesn't have a relationship with him, he said. Schiff was the lead impeachment manager during Trump's first impeachment trial in 2020; Johnson served on Trump's defense team.

"He is one of the very determined ideologues," Schiff said. "There are members of the committee who are much more open to working together on a variety of issues,“ but Johnson isn't among them, he said.

Republicans' inability to unite around a single candidate had left the House without a speaker for more than three weeks, effectively freezing the House from doing any legislative business besides holding hearings on bills that could not be introduced.

The most immediate emergency is funding the government, which is set to run out of money Nov. 17, and some have little confidence Johnson could handle the task.

Johnson has said he will pass a short-term bill to extend government funding until either mid-January or April, but he hasn't presented a plan on how to persuade many in the conference who are still deeply skeptical of governing by continuing resolution, the term for the stopgap funding bill. He also will have to negotiate with a president with whom he has no relationship and a Senate leadership who doesn't know who he is.

Another unknown for moderates is what legislation Johnson would bring to the House floor. His extremely conservative points of view and tendency to align with the House Freedom Caucus could result in them taking tough votes. Issues these moderate Republicans are trying to avoid include abortion, re-litigating the 2020 election and same-sex marriage and expunging Trump's impeachments.

Johnson said his first bill would be a resolution stating support for Israel.

Caleb McCullough and Tom Barton of The Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau contributed to this report.