US Speaker coming to Jackson Mississippi Thursday. See why

The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives will make his way to the Magnolia State to speak with community members and students at Jackson Preparatory School in Flowood on April 25.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, will be speaking about his recent rise to the top seat within the US House and how he intends to lead the party moving forward. The event is hosted by the National Apostolic Christian Leadership Conference, a national religious organization with the Apostolic Church seeking to provide public forums for the public to hear from elected officials throughout the country.

Ron Matis, NACLC executive director and political liaison for the church, said this would be the second of such events organized by NACLC, with the first having taken place in October 2023 with Robert Kennedy Jr. at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in downtown Jackson.

"The (event) is really going to give a chance for (Johnson) to share his story," Matis said. "Where he comes from, and what propelled him to want to serve in public office. I think there'll be an opportunity from a policy perspective to branch off into talking about some of the issues Congress is facing, but that's not really the main focus. The main focus is letting people get a sense of him as a human being and a leader."

The event will feature a speech from Johnson, as well as a Q&A between Johnson and a handful of students, Matis said.

"It's important to get students to participate," Matis said.

Matis said they chose Johnson to speak at next week's event because of his recent rise into the national spotlight as well as Republican leadership within Congress.

Johnson was elected as the House speaker on Oct. 25. Before his rise to the highest seat in the lower chamber, he was first elected to represent Louisiana's fourth congressional district in 2016 and took office in 2017. He has served as a member of the Judiciary Committee and the Armed Services Committee. He also holds an assistant leadership role as GOP deputy whip and is the vice chairman of the Republican House Conference, according to Biography.com.

Johnson is also facing an attempt to oust him from the House speakership by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, who has been joined by Republican House members Paul Goser, R-Arizona, and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky. Johnson has faced criticism from GOP members over a set of foreign aid bills that were advanced in the House, providing funds for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific region, according to USA Today reporting.

Jackson Preparatory School Public Information Officer declined to answer questions about the school's thoughts on Johnson coming to the school, but he said Jackson Preparatory School is simply renting out the space to the NACLC.

Johnson nor his staff responded to calls or messages made by the Clarion Ledger requesting comment about the event on Thursday.

Tickets to attend the event can be found at https://JACKSONPREP.LUDUS.com/200452905.

Grant McLaughlin covers state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@gannett.com or 972-571-2335.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson Preparatory School hosting Mike Johnson Thursday for event