Johnson officially wins House speakership on House floor

The GOP-led House voted Wednesday to elect Rep. Mike Johnson speaker, ending 3 weeks without a chamber leader, according to the final vote tally.

Johnson won with 220 votes to become the 56th speaker of the House.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., the House GOP conference chair, nominated Johnson on the floor. 

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, is the fourth candidate to win the speaker nomination after the ousting of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Oct. 3.

Johnson, vice chair of the House GOP conference, lost to House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., on Tuesday but Emmer eventually dropped out due to opposition from 26 Republicans, which would have been enough to sink his ascension to the speakership on the House floor. 

Former President Trump came out against Emmer’s nomination after the GOP conference vote. 

Johnson won the House GOP conference election for speaker on Tuesday night with 128 votes. He needed 217 votes to win the speakership on the House floor. 

Trump threw his support behind Johnson after the GOP conference voted to nominate him.

“My strong SUGGESTION is to go with the leading candidate, Mike Johnson," he wrote on social media.

Ahead of the floor vote on Wednesday, Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., nominated Democratic leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., for speaker. In his nomination speech, Aguilar criticized Johnson for supporting efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in certain states. 

Stefanik described Johnson as a "man of deep faith" who "epitomizes what it means to be a servant leader."

"A deeply respected constitutional lawyer, Mike has dedicated his life to preserving America's great principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," she said.