Who is Mike Johnson? What to know about the new House speaker

Table Of Content

• Who is Mike Johnson?
• He’s a devout Christian
• Mike Johnson and the troubled history of recent Republican speakers
• What does the speaker of the House do? Here's what Kevin McCarthy's successor will have for a job
• Elections
• Johnson was elected to the House in 2016
• Subscribe to our free newsletter to keep a pulse on today‘s political leaders.

The Louisiana congressman’s ascent to the speakership is one of the fastest in history and comes at a pivotal time for the legislature. Among states Trump won, Biden is targeting North Carolina, which has a notable Black college student population. Biden’s speech at Morehouse will mark the second consecutive spring that the president has spoken to the graduating class of a historically Black school. The Washington, D.C., school is the alma mater of Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black woman to hold that office. Morehouse, a private all-male school that is part of the multi-campus Atlanta University Center, also is the alma mater of Sen. Raphael Warnock, Georgia’s first Black U.S. senator.

Who is Mike Johnson?

Caroline Linton is a senior editor on the political team for CBSNews.com. She is currently based out of Austin, Texas, and writes and edits about local, state and national politics. According to The New York Times, about three-quarters of the arguments that lawmakers used to justify overturning the election results relied on arguments from Johnson.

He’s a devout Christian

Since then, Stefanik has led the charge among Republicans, pushing for the resignation of the university leaders. The presidents of the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard have already resigned. And last week, Columbia's president became the latest to testify before Congress. University leaders have been toeing a line on how to express disdain about antisemitic language and enforce university policies while also allowing students to practice free speech, as they face accusations that colleges are not doing enough to protect Jewish students. And tensions have reached a fever pitch at some of the nation's most prestigious universities in recent days as the demonstrations have worn on. "I think it's a kinetic situation. And Hakeem and the entire Democrat leadership team endorsing Mike Johnson is going to cause a lot of people who weren't with us, to be with us," Massie said.

Mike Johnson and the troubled history of recent Republican speakers

His predecessor, Frederick Gillett of Massachusetts, also had the top job for less than five years. But when he left after the 1924 session, his party was still firmly in control and had just elected President Calvin Coolidge to a full term. The next two Republican speakers would be John Boehner, elevated to the job by the GOP recapture of the House in the "Tea Party" election of 2010. Boehner worked hard to fashion budget deals with both a Democratic President Barack Obama and a Democratic Senate. But his efforts alienated some in his own ranks who in 2015 formed an insurgent group known as the House Freedom Caucus. Increasingly exasperated with his untenable predicament, Boehner simply resigned in October of that year.

What does the speaker of the House do? Here's what Kevin McCarthy's successor will have for a job

Democratic leaders have indicated they are open to this, and it essentially repeats the strategy that allowed Johnson to pass the Ukraine portion of the aid bill earlier this month. He voted against bipartisan legislation to codify same-sex marriage, which Biden signed into law last year. Among the more conservative members of the GOP conference, Johnson has consistently opposed a woman’s right to abortion — “we will get the number of abortions to ZERO!! ” he posted on Twitter, now known as X, earlier this year, referencing the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning the nationwide right to an abortion. He also opposed legislation last year that would require states to recognize same sex marriages that were legal where they were performed.

Elections

Ryan also had a strained relationship with then-President Donald Trump, with whom he had a falling out during the fall 2016 campaign. In April 2018, Ryan said he would not serve another term and left as the party was losing its majority that fall. Gingrich managed to restore many of the powers of the speakership but clashed repeatedly with Clinton and even with Republican leaders in the Senate. In 1997, in his second Congress as speaker, he barely survived a largely covert challenge from within his own leadership team.

Morehouse College

Just such a "motion to vacate the chair" was filed against Johnson in March by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. But Greene has yet to make the motion "privileged," which under the rules would necessitate a vote within two days. Reps. Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan have also dropped out after earlier seeking the speaker’s gavel. Although Trump said he won’t endorse anyone in the speaker’s race Wednesday, he leant support to Johnson in a post on Truth Social. The House Republican conference held another speaker forum Tuesday night and several more rounds of voting, with Johnson prevailing.

Johnson was elected to the House in 2016

Greene was joined by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., at a press conference outside the U.S. The pair blasted Johnson after House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-NY., released a joint statement with other Democratic leaders announcing they would save Johnson. Democrats have long signaled they were willing to save Johnson for passing Ukraine aid.

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Johnson is close to Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, who strategized with Trump on how to overturn his presidential defeat and lost his own bid for speaker earlier this week after moderates in the conference revolted. A constitutional lawyer and former member of the Louisiana state House, Johnson was first elected to the U.S. He is the first Louisianan to become speaker and the first Southerner to serve as speaker since Republican Newt Gingrich of Georgia in the 1990s. Free from the political baggage that can come with a higher profile, the affable Johnson, 51, promises to restore faith in Congress as he assumes the speakership under remarkable circumstances. He’s taking charge after three weeks of infighting, other failed candidacies and no action on legislation.

Johnson, R-La., was nominated Tuesday after three previous nominees flamed out. He unified the fractious Republican Conference, winning votes from right-wing detractors of McCarthy, R-Calif., as well as centrist Republicans who opposed Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. Instead, he moved quickly to bring up a resolution expressing solidarity and support for Israel. His next order of business, he said, would be addressing what he called the country’s “broken border” with Mexico. He made no mention of the impeachment inquiry into President Biden, or of the impending government shutdown that will begin next month if Congress fails to pass legislation to keep the government funded.

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"My wife and I both come from traditional Christian households," Johnson told ABC in 2005. "My own parents are divorced. As anyone who goes through that knows, that was a traumatic thing for our whole family. I'm a big proponent of marriage and fidelity and all the things that go with it, and I've seen firsthand the devastation [divorce] can cause." Johnson is one of the few Americans in a "covenant marriage," a legal arrangement that makes it harder for couples to get a divorce. His son, Jerry Falwell Jr., previously ran the university until he resigned amid a sex scandal in 2020. Falwell had been a prominent Trump backer within the evangelical community.

Republicans hold the majority in the House with 221 members as opposed to 212 Democrats. A cohort of Republican contenders for the new House speaker role struggled with party infighting. Hours before Johnson’s nomination, Republican whip Tom Emmer dropped his bid after Trump urged Republicans to oppose him. Besides Emmer, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise withdrew while Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan was pushed out from the race after failed attempts at securing the votes. House of Representatives and a Republican member of Congress proudly serving Louisiana’s Fourth District.

Additionally, he has contributed to academia as an adjunct professor in the Religion and Philosophy Department at the College. Since assuming leadership of Fellowship Chicago in December 2019, Pastor Sharpe has overseen remarkable growth, even amidst the challenges of the pandemic. Notably, he spearheaded #TheVirtualShip, a virtual extension of the church's ministry, engaging an average audience of 25,000 people weekly.

First, they are the most visible and authoritative spokesperson for the majority party in the House. Speakers articulate an agenda and explain legislative action to other Washington officials as well as the public. They oversee House committee assignments and collaborate with the powerful House Rules Committee to structure floor debate. Greene responded to accusations that her push would fuel more chaos for congressional Republicans by arguing that House Republicans would lose the majority in November if Johnson remained at the helm. "We need leaders in the House of Representatives that are gonna get this done," Greene said, holding up a red "Make America Great Again" hat.