Republicans nominate Mike Johnson for House Speaker

Congressman Mike Johnson has been chosen as the latest Republican nominee for Speaker of the House of Representatives. He is the fourth nominee to be put forward after three others failed to gain enough support from colleagues. The House has been without a Speaker since Kevin McCarthy was removed on October 3rd, resulting in the inability to pass legislation. Johnson, 51, was selected after three rounds of voting late on Tuesday. The announcement was made by House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik. As Republicans only have a narrow majority over Democrats in the lower chamber of Congress, their nominee can only afford to lose a few votes from their own side to secure victory. Johnson's nomination followed the withdrawal of the prior nominee, Majority Whip Tom Emmer, due to insufficient support. It is uncertain whether Johnson will obtain the necessary 217 votes, a simple majority in the House. Earlier voting placed him in second position behind Emmer, who dropped out after being criticized by former President Donald Trump. In the final round of voting, Johnson received 128 votes, while Congressman Byron Donald came in second with 29 votes. Johnson's nomination is expected to undergo a full vote in the House on Wednesday afternoon. If he fails to secure the position, Republicans will have to restart the selection process. Congressman Mike Gallagher expressed doubts about Johnson's ability to gather enough votes, stating that repeating the same unsuccessful approach is akin to insanity. Johnson, a lawyer and former talk radio host, has been serving in the House since 2016. He was a prominent figure in the efforts to challenge Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election.