Republicans elected Kevin McCarthy out of the Speaker position on October 3rd, 2023, making him the only Speaker to be elected out of office. He held the Speaker position for 269 days making him have the third shortest speakership in history.
After he was elected out, the Republican party needed to elect a new speaker. It took them three weeks, more specifically 21 days. They have had four candidates for the position in that time; Steve Scalise, Jim Jordan, Tom Emmer, and the new current speaker, Mike Johnson.
Mike Johnson was elected Speaker of the House on October 25th, 2023. He is a Republican who represents the northwest and western regions of Louisiana. He is known as a supporter of Donald Trump and tried to overturn the 2020 election.
While he can be seen as inexperienced, he claims that as the Speaker he is going to get as much done as possible. He plans to resolve a potential government shutdown because Government funding is set to expire on November 17th and consider giving aid to Ukraine and Israel.
“We want our allies around the world to know that this body of lawmakers is reporting again to our duty stations,” the newly elected Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, said shortly after winning the position.
Democrats are against the new Speaker and refer to him as an extremist, as they call him out on some of his controversial views. Even some Republicans have claimed that he shouldn’t vocalize his personal views as much and should instead focus on the legislative commitments that are pressuring the House right now. However, the Republicans seem to have faith in him to lead the House of Representatives in these difficult times.
