The victory was due to 220 votes for Johnson. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader of New York, received 209.
House Republicans chose Mike Johnson as the new speaker, three weeks after the historic ouster of Kevin McCarthy.
Johnson, a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump and a key congressional figure in the failed efforts to overturn the 2020 election, will now preside over a bitterly divided House Republican majority as he face the looming threat of a government shutdown next month.
There were 220 votes for Johnson – and the unanimous support of the Republican Party behind him – and 209 votes for Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader of New York.
Johnson, who serves as vice chairman of the House Republican Caucus, confirmed his nomination for speaker Tuesday night.
The vote capped a tumultuous day that began with Minnesota Republicans electing Rep. Tom Emmer appeared to be their latest nominee, but he dropped out just hours after facing fierce opposition from the right wing of the conference and a rebuke from Trump.
The day ended with a vote to choose a new candidate, which Johnson won.
Emmer is the third Republican to win the Republican nomination who later dropped out of the race after failing to get the votes needed to win the gavel, following Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Steve Scalise also of Louisiana.
After winning the party’s nomination, Emmer faced swift opposition from the right wing of his conference, as well as a rebuke from Trump.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump called Emmer a “globalist RINO” and said voting for him was “a terrible mistake.”
