1 of 1 Representative Mike Johnson was elected Speaker of the United States House of Representatives on October 25, 2023. — Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/ AP Representative Mike Johnson was elected Speaker of the United States House of Representatives on October 25, 2023. Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/ AP
After weeks of deadlock, the US deputies elected a new president for the Chamber of Representatives (as the Chamber of Deputies is called in the country) this Wednesday (25).
Since then, MPs have tried three times to elect a new president, but all votes ended without the required majority.
This time Mike Johnson won first vote with the support of all Republicans the chamber. What was little known was that Johnson did not attend the “summit meeting” of Republican lawmakers, but emerged as the candidate after previous unsuccessful attempts due to the major division the party is experiencing in the House of Representatives.
One of the factors explaining his choice is the fact that Johnson has few enemies and receives support from former US President Donald Trump.
In a speech to the House of Representatives after his election, Johnson mentioned the work of Joe Biden, the President of the United States, who belongs to the Democratic Party. He cited the false theory that the 2020 presidential election was rigged.
“Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election. He’s doing a great job in difficult circumstances, and no amount of voter denial will ever change that reality,” Johnson said.
The Republican also said that the first bill he will introduce to the House floor today is a resolution defending Israel in its war against Hamas.
Johnson is 51 years old and was born in Shreveport, Louisiana’s third largest city. He is the eldest of four brothers and the son of a firefighter who suffered severe burns and disability while on duty.
Before Congress, Johnson was a lawyer who focused primarily on religious freedom issues and successfully defended Louisiana’s 2004 ban on samesex marriage.
“I am a Christian, a husband, a father, a longtime conservative, a constitutional lawyer and a small business owner, in that order,” he told the Louisiana Baptist Message in 2016.
He was elected to the Louisiana City Council in 2015 and successfully ran for Congress in 2016. Johnson currently represents Louisiana’s fourth congressional district, which occupies the northwest corner of the state and includes his hometown of Shreveport.