NEW HANOVER COUNTY — The United States has a new House speaker after 22 days of a leaderless chamber.
Rep. Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, will take the role formerly occupied by Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-California) from Jan. 7 to Oct 4. North Carolina lawmaker Rep. Patrick McHenry, who represented a district encompassing Mooresville and Hickory, has been serving in the interim.
Johnson was elected in a 220 to 209 party-line vote.
Rep. David Rouzer, the Republican representing constituents in New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties, announced his “proud” support for Johnson in a statement Wednesday.
“Speaker Johnson strongly reflects the values, integrity, and conservative principles of the Republican Party,” Rouzer wrote in a release. “As former Chairman of the Republican Study Committee and current Vice Chairman of the House Republican Conference, Speaker Johnson has the experience and knowledge to lead our institution and move our nation forward in a positive way. American faces a critical time in our nation’s history, and I’m eager to get back to work under the principled leadership of Speaker Johnson as we move forward united and focused on the priorities of the American people.”
Johnson was among eight candidates vying for the House speaker seat, which makes whoever sitting in it second in line for the presidency.
After McCarthy’s ousting, Republicans spent the following weeks in division over who would take his place. Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan’s bid for the seat failed in three votes last week, preceded by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the GOP’s original nominee. He removed himself from the running due to a lack of support. A host of others announced and withdrew or lost over the last two weeks.
Johnson, 51, is serving his third term in Congress but is still among the lesser-known members of the right-wing party. Still, he has marked his time by support for former president Donald Trump, having served on Trump’s legal defense team during his impeachment hearings.
Johnson is also among the 147 Republicans who refused to certify the results of the 2020 election, along with Rouzer and several other North Carolina legislators. Rep. Johnson helped organize Republicans to file court documents in Texas that contested the 2020 election results in four swing states and objected to the presidential election results in Arizona and Pennsylvania.
In a conference with Republican leaders on Wednesday, ABC News reporter Rachel Scott brought up Johnson’s vote on the election results, as captured online. The group of Republican leaders standing behind Johnson scoffed and booed at her question, including North Carolina Rep. Virginia Foxx. The congresswoman, who also voted against certifying the 2020 election, told the reporter repeatedly to “shut up.”
Republicans are in control of the House currently, 221-212. The next time a speaker of the House is scheduled to be voted on is after the 2024 Congressional elections; a new class decides on representation as their terms begin January 2025.
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