Oct. 25 (UPI) — The latest Republican speaker-designate Mike Johnson is set to bring a vote to the House floor on Wednesday.
Johnson, the fourth choice by his conference in a little over two weeks, is expected to call for a vote when the House is slated to convene at noon EDT. He needs 217 votes to capture the gavel and end the three-week vacancy.
He received 128 votes when the conference met behind closed doors late Tuesday. About 20 members were absent for the vote, according to CNN. If all 221 Republicans vote, Johnson can afford to lose just four of their votes.
The Louisiana representative played an instrumental role in the attempt by House Republicans to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Former Sen. Liz Cheney, vice chair of the House select committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, called him “the most important architect of the Electoral College objections.”
Johnson led more than 100 Republican lawmakers in an amicus brief supporting a Texas lawsuit that sought to challenge the results of the election in states won by President Joe Biden. The brief cited concern about “unconstitutional irregularities involved in the 2020 presidential election.”
Johnson serves as the vice chairman of the House Republican Conference. Former President Donald Trump applauded his selection as speaker-designate, though he stopped short of giving an official endorsement.
“My strong suggestion is to go with the leading candidate, Mike Johnson, and get it done fast,” Trump posted on social media early Wednesday morning.
On Tuesday, Trump took credit for “killing” previous speaker-designate Mike Emmer’s bid. Emmer’s nomination never made it to the House floor after it became apparent he would not reach the 217-vote threshold.
Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., was the first candidate chosen following the removal of California Rep. Kevin McCarthy. Scalise never brought a vote to the House floor either. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio was then selected and went through three floor votes before stepping aside.
Democrats have continued to stand behind House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, casting all 212 of their votes for him in three rounds of voting.
“House Republicans can continue down the path of destruction, or they can work with House Democrats in a bipartisan path forward to get back to doing the People’s business,” Rep. Pete Aguilar of California said during a weekly press conference on Tuesday.
