- The Republicans nominate Mike Johnson as the new candidate for chairman of the US House of Representatives.
- He succeeds Tom Emmer, who withdrew his candidacy last night.
- Since Kevin McCarthy, the former chairman, was voted out, two candidates have stood for election, but both times received too few votes.
Mike Johnson – that is the name of the new candidate who is entering the race for the speaker post in the large chamber. The 51-year-old received 128 votes in an internal vote with other candidates, US media reported that night.
Legend:
51-year-old Mike Johnson speaks to his Republican supporters in the Capitol. (10/24/23)
AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana
Johnson told reporters that he wanted to make the appointment official today and stand for election to the top job in the chamber. His nomination does not automatically mean that he will receive the necessary majority in the official election.
The lawyer and former radio presenter from the state of Louisiana is the fourth candidate for the presidency since his party colleague Kevin McCarthy was voted out in a historic vote at the beginning of October. At the time, Johnson refused to acknowledge Donald Trump’s defeat in the 2020 presidential election, media reports said.
Tom Emmer retires
Only hours before Johnson’s appointment, Republican Tom Emmer had been nominated for the post. According to media reports, the 62-year-old withdrew his candidacy because he was unable to get a majority for the later vote in the chamber’s plenary session. His party colleagues Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan had previously failed.
In order to be elected to the third most important political office in the USA after President and Vice President, an absolute majority is required among the members of the House of Representatives present. This would probably require 217 votes in the chamber. Since the Republicans only have a narrow majority with 221 seats, a candidate can only afford a few dissidents within his own ranks.
Johnson said he was “very confident” that he would get the necessary majority. However, according to US media, this is uncertain. There are even efforts within the group to return McCarthy to the post. The chaos in the Republican faction has been paralyzing the political work of the House of Representatives for weeks.