We have a speaker: Louisiana Republican Rep. Mike Johnson was elected speaker of the House yesterday, 220–209. Earlier this month, former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R–Calif.) was ousted. It was the first time in U.S. history that the House of Representatives had voted to remove a speaker.
Johnson hadn't really been on most people's radar—he's only been a member of Congress since 2016, after all—and Republicans struggled to elect a replacement speaker for the better part of three weeks. But Johnson is an interesting character. Prior to becoming a congressman, he was a lawyer with the conservative Alliance Defending Freedom. He is an evangelical Christian. He is staunchly pro-life, backing a federal ban on abortion after 15 weeks. Politico calls him "the most culturally conservative lawmaker to ascend to the speakership in decades, if not longer." Naturally, Twitter critics have already emerged to pick apart his every comment.
