Representative Mike Johnson from Louisiana voted Speaker of the House

Representative Mike Johnson of Louisiana is now the new Speaker of the House.

The vote was 220-209, with House Republicans voting unanimously for Johnson and all Democrats present backing Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York.

The Louisiana Republican was first elected to the House in 2016 and serves as vice chairman of the House Republican Conference, as well as GOP deputy whip. An attorney with a focus on constitutional law, Johnson joined a group of House Republicans in voting to sustain the objection to electoral votes on January 6, 2021. During Trump’s first impeachment trial in January 2020, Johnson, along with a group of other GOP lawmakers, served a largely ceremonial role in Trump’s Senate impeachment team. Johnson is an evangelical Christian conservative who is close to the Louisiana Family Forum, the influential religious group in Baton Rouge.

Johnson is the first representative from Louisiana to become Speaker of the House.

After receiving a degree in business administration from Louisiana State University and a Juris Doctorate from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Johnson took on roles as a college professor and conservative talk radio host. He began his political career in the Louisiana legislature, where he served from 2015 to 2017, before being elected to Congress in Louisiana’s Fourth District.