After McCarthy’s ouster and a contentious search to replace him, Rep. Mike Johnson takes the gavel.

The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives. Since 1789, 56 people have served in the position, tasked with leading the majority party, managing institutional business on the house floor, and negotiating between the House and president and with the Senate. The Speaker is second in line (after the Vice President) to the Presidency, and has been central to the United States political system for well over 200 years. 

On Oct. 3, in an unprecedented first, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was removed from office after a motion to vacate was brought to the House floor. 

The ouster was led by a small group of right-wing Republicans who were unhappy with the concessions McCarthy made to pass a short-term spending bill and avoid a government shutdown. The motion to vacate, which required only a single member’s proposal, allowed eight republicans, along with 216 Democrats to force McCarthy from office. 

Somewhat ironically, the ability for only one representative to bring the motion to the floor was one of the concessions McCarthy made during his own, arduous bid for speaker, where he underwent 15 consecutive elections before gaining the majority. 

This led to a 22-day period where the House was without a Speaker, a first in United States history, putting the country in a dangerous position. It put the House at a standstill, unable to pass new legislation. 

Multiple Republican candidates stepped forward, with Republican Congressman Jim Jordan trying and failing three times to win a majority. Eventually, with a 220 Republican majority, Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., was elected as the 56th speaker of the house on Oct. 25. 

Although a win for many far-right Republicans, many others feel that Johnson is too extreme and that a prominent election denier in a position of power is a sign of a declining democracy. 

Johnson has already weathered several controversies as a Speaker, the most well-known of which has been his widely shared views on pornography and the stories he has shared about his monitoring of his pornography intake. 

He has been vocal in his anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ+ views, blaming “the sexual revolution,” “radical feminism” and “government-sanctioned killing of the unborn’’ for the issues facing America today. 

He has promoted evangelical Christianity as the answer to what he has called “a completely amoral society,” as reported by the Washington Post.

Additionally, he has faced scrutiny over his personal finances, repeatedly dodging questions surrounding the fact there were no assets listed on his annual financial disclosure. This includes basic checking and savings accounts, prompting speculation about how he pays for everyday necessities, as well as larger costs, such as his children’s tuition. 

However, independent of Johnson’s personal behavior and political positions, the three-week-long period of indecision that preceded his election will have long-lasting effects on American politics. 

The fact that a minority group, just eight out of 435 representatives, was able to force out a Speaker and halt the democratic processes of the United States, threatens to convolute the ideas of this country. It sets a dangerous precedent for how political minorities may go about promoting their agendas. 

Article by Hollis Mann