Republicans nominate Mike Johnson for Speaker of the House of Representatives

According to the results of a closed vote, which took place on the evening of October 24, Republicans nominated fellow party member from Louisiana Mike Johnson as a candidate for the post of Speaker of the US House of Representatives, transmits CNN.

The next round of voting is due to take place on October 25.

Johnson, 51, began serving in the US Congress in 2016. NBC News writesthat he is “popular and well-liked among his fellow Republicans” and has few political enemies.

Kevin McCarthy was removed from the post of Speaker of the US House of Representatives as a result of a vote on October 3. The resolution was proposed by his fellow party member and representative of the right wing of the Republican Party, Matt Gaetz. 216 congressmen supported it, 210 opposed it. In addition to all 208 Democrats, eight Republicans voted for McCarthy’s resignation, including Gaetz himself. North Carolina legislator Patrick McHenry became speaker pro tempore.

October 11, based on the results of a secret ballot, nomination for the post of Speaker of the House of Representatives won Steve Scalise, but on October 12 he refused to run. Second place voter Jim Jordan then announced his intention to run for office again. After three unsuccessful rounds of voting in the House of Representatives, he lost the nomination on October 20.

Later, the Republicans of the US House of Representatives chose Congressman from Minnesota Tom Emmer as a candidate for the post of speaker, but on October 24 he refused from the fight. This happened after former US President Donald Trump criticized Emmer in Truth Social and called him a RINO (Republican in name only). He also warned party members that voting for Emmer would be a “tragic mistake”. Although, before the results of the secret ballot were announced, the former president said that he was trying to stay “as far away from the process as possible.”

Congressmen must nominate a speaker by Nov. 17, when approval of the federal budget for the new fiscal year is required. Otherwise, and in the absence of interim solutions, the US government will close completely or partially (depending on the distribution of funding), in other words, declare a “shutdown.” To win, a candidate for the post of speaker needs to get 217 votes.