Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson, ideologically similar to Jim Jordan, wins House Speaker race — ending Republican chaos

Rep. Mike Johnson won the race for House Speaker Wednesday, ending three weeks of Republican chaos that brought governance to a halt.

The Louisiana hardliner won by a 220-209 vote with all Republican voting for Johnson and factions ranging from far right-wingers to moderates getting behind him. With Johnson in charge, a top priority would be getting aid to Israel as it faces a war with Hamas following a brutal Oct. 7 terror attack.

All Democrats present voted for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries as expected.

The previously little-known Johnson succeeds ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy who was ousted three weeks ago in a revolt by a small group of MAGA right-wingers led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida).

Johnson was the fourth GOP leader to try his luck after Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minnesota) withdrew his bid amid opposition from former President Donald Trump just a couple of hours after he defeated Johnson on Tuesday.

Rep. Steve Scalise, the No. 2 House GOP leader, and Rep. Jim Jordan, a prominent MAGA extremist, both crashed and burned earlier amid fierce opposition from various factions in the House GOP.

Trump said he supports Johnson after denouncing Emmer as a Republican in name only.

“Go with the leading candidate, Mike Johnson, & get it done, fast!” Trump wrote on his social media site.

All eyes were on a small group of GOP moderates who torpedoed Jordan’s bid, claiming he was too extreme to lead the Republican-led House.

The dozen or so members, including lawmakers from suburban swing districts in the New York area, were angry that MAGA hardliners removed McCarthy and killed bids of Scalise and Emmer, who were both the most-senior leaders in the party.

But they united to back Johnson.

During the three weeks without a speaker, Congress was unable to pass any bills or handle any legislative business.

On top of aid to Israel, Democrats also want to send billions to embattled Ukraine, assistance that Johnson has opposed.

Johnson will also need to figure out a way to work with the White House and the Democratic-led Senate to keep the government open after a Thanksgiving deadline.

McCarthy was ousted in large part because he agreed to a compromise with Democrats to avert a government shutdown.

Johnson has a mild-mannered demeanor but is ideologically similar to the firebrand Jordan.

He is a staunch opponent of abortion rights and gay marriage and voted to refuse to certify President Biden’s win in the 2020 election.

Johnson, a former law professor, was first elected in 2016 to a very deep-red district that includes the city of Shreveport and a sprawling swath of northwest Louisiana bordering Texas and Arkansas. He last won reelection by a more that 2-1 margin in 2020 and ran unopposed in 2022.

He was vice chairman of the Republican Study Conference, a major GOP House faction, but has never held a top position in Republican leadership.

Scalise remains No. 2 House leader for now, meaning the top two spots would be occupied by lawmakers from Louisiana, although they hail from opposite ends of the Bayou State.