Rep. Mike Johnson Elected 56th U.S. House Speaker
Written by on October 28, 2023
Following an embarrassing and frustrating 22-day impasse, the U.S. House of Representatives has elected Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) as the 56th speaker of the House.
Speaker Johnson, 51, is in his fourth term as a member of the House of Representatives. A constitutional lawyer by profession, Speaker Johnson—an evangelical Christian and Southern Baptist—worked as an attorney at Alliance Defending Freedom before entering politics. He also founded a nonprofit organization named Freedom Guard that offered legal representation to Christian clients. Speaker Johnson has taught courses at Liberty University and is affiliated with Answers in Genesis, a Christian apologetics ministry.
Speaker Johnson served in the Louisiana House of Representatives beginning in 2015, and ran for Congress for the first time in 2016. Since being elected to Congress, Speaker Johnson has held leadership roles in the Republican Study Committee and in the House Republican Conference. The Speaker is known for being staunchly pro-life and pro-family; he has publicly stated that his pro-life convictions have been influenced by the fact that he was born to teenaged parents who experienced an unplanned pregnancy. Speaker Johnson was heavily involved in supporting President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
Speaker Johnson’s ascension to the highest position in the House of Representatives occurred remarkably quickly. He did not throw his hat into the ring for speaker of the House until October 21, 2023. At that point, House Republicans’ first two speaker nominees—House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH)—had already withdrawn (in the case of Rep. Scalise) or failed (in the case of Rep. Jordan). On October 24, House Republicans nominated House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) for speaker of the House; Rep. Emmer defeated then-Rep. Johnson, 117-97. However, Rep. Emmer—an establishment Republican who voted for same-sex “marriage” last year—withdrew his candidacy later that day because he did not have sufficient support to be elected. House Republicans then nominated Rep. Johnson for speaker; he received 128 votes from his fellow Republicans. Former President Donald Trump endorsed Rep. Johnson’s bid for the speakership.
The House elected Speaker Johnson to his new leadership role on October 25, 2023 by a margin of 220-209. The Speaker was sworn in later that day. Remarkably, Speaker Johnson received the support of every single House Republican who was present for the vote. He is the 56th speaker of the House and the first Louisianian to serve as speaker.
According to NBC News, Speaker Johnson “was able to unite the fractured [Republican] conference through a combination of good timing, his conservatism and his reputation for having a pleasant demeanor.” Roll Call added, “A constitutional lawyer by trade and an evangelical Christian, Johnson is a fierce abortion opponent who voted against certifying Joe Biden’s election. His conservative bona fides and mild-mannered demeanor helped the dark horse candidate unite his fractious party.” Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) offered this take on Speaker Johnson:“ ‘He’s inquisitive. He’s thoughtful. He plays well with others. Very conservative. And he does some wonderful impersonations.’”
Christians, Speaker Johnson is our brother in Christ. Let’s pray that the Lord would bless him and use him in a mighty way in his challenging new role.
After being elected speaker of the House, Speaker Mike Johnson delivered a memorable speech on the House floor. Albany Update highly recommends that Christian New Yorkers view that speech here. The Speaker affirmed that the United States was founded upon this proposition set forth 247 years ago in the Declaration of Independence: “That all men are created equal.” Speaker Johnson identified seven core principles of American conservatism: “Individual freedom, limited government, rule of law, peace through strength, fiscal responsibility, free markets, and human dignity.” The Speaker promised that his very first priority would be passing legislation to aid the nation of Israel, and that he wished to reduce Americans’ cost of living, secure its borders, and create a bipartisan commission to address its $33.6 trillion national debt.
The Speaker reminded Americans that we are stewards of the freedoms that have been handed down to us. He exhorted his colleagues in Congress with these words: “I believe that God has ordained and allowed each one of us to be brought here for this specific moment and this time. This is my belief. I believe that each one of us has a huge responsibility today, to use the gifts that God has given us to serve the extraordinary people of this great country—and they deserve it—and to ensure that our republic remains standing as the great beacon of light and hope and freedom in a world that desperately needs it.”
Significantly, Speaker Johnson expressed a commitment to the decentralization of power in the House of Representatives, and to facilitate greater involvement of rank-and-file members in decision-making. The Speaker stated that the House would operate with transparency and accountability, adding: “Let the enemies of freedom around the world hear us loud and clear: The people’s House is back in business.”
