A lower-ranked member of the House GOP leadership team, Mr Johnson emerged as the fourth Republican nominee in what has become an almost absurd cycle of political infighting since Kevin McCarthy’s ousting as GOP factions jockey for power. Three weeks on without a House speaker, the Republicans have been wasting their majority status — a maddening embarrassment to some, democracy in action to others, but not at all how the House is expected to function. “House Republicans and Speaker Mike Johnson will never give up,” she said. With Republicans controlling the House only 221-212 over Democrats, Johnson can afford just a few detractors to win the gavel. “Democracy is messy sometimes, but it is our system,” Mr Johnson said after winning the nomination.

Source: The Times October 26, 2023 06:36 UTC