US: Republicans choose Mike Johnson as 4th speaker nominee

Mike Johnson on Tuesday became the latest Republican nominee to lead the US House of Representatives.

The Louisiana representative is the fourth pick in just two weeks following the ouster of the previous House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

This decision follows previous nominee Majority Whip Tom Emmer's withdrawal due to opposition from former President Donald Trump and other hardline GOP members. 

Republican representatives Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan also both failed in their bids to be elected to the post.

What are Mike Johnson's chances of becoming House speaker?

Johnson, known for supporting Trump's efforts to contest the 2020 election results, will need the support of a majority of House Republicans to secure the speaker position. He had earlier lost out to Emmer but jumped back into the ring after Emmer pulled out.

Johnson, a conservative constitutional law attorney, presents himself as a conduit between the various Republican factions.

He is best known for leading over 100 Republicans in a lawsuit challenging the 2020 election results in key states won by US President Joe Biden.

The Louisiana representative narrowly secured the Republican nomination for House Speaker against Byron Donalds, Mark Green, Roger Williams, and Chuck Fleischmann, but still needs strong GOP support in the House vote.

If elected, Johnson would be the least experienced speaker in over a century, having never led a committee or held a major leadership role.

Discontent among Republicans

There was growing discontent among Republicans with the ongoing political infighting and failed nominations. A sign of this was the ousted McCarthy securing second place in the nominating vote on Tuesday with 43 votes despite not being a declared candidate.

"The dysfunction in the Republican Party right now seems to be saying we want to lose," Republican Andy Barr from Kentucky told CNN. "That is crazy to me. We were elected as a majority to govern, and we are not doing that right now."

"We have no capacity at the moment to come to a verdict, and that is a very distressing place to be,” Representative Marc Molinaro said.

Earlier, former President Donald Trump took credit for Emmer's downfall saying, "He wasn't MAGA."

Risk of shutdown looming

Meanwhile, the threat of a government shutdown looms as Congress struggles to pass essential funding legislation by the mid-November deadline to keep services and offices running.

At the same time, congressional action is needed for President Biden's $105 billion aid for Ukraine and Israel, while federal aviation and farming programs face expiration.

"Pretty sad commentary on governance right now," said Republican Steve Womack. "Maybe on the fourth or fifth or sixth or 10th try we'll get this thing right."

ss/rt (AFP, AP, Reuters)