U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., received support for his bid to become House speaker from all St. 亚洲无码-area and Missouri Republicans, while Democrats again lined up behind House Minority Leader Hakim Jeffries.
Johnson received 220 votes without any defections from the Republican caucus. Jeffries received 209 votes.聽
All six of Missouri鈥檚 Republican members of Congress voted for Johnson, including three 鈥斅燘laine Luetkemeyer, Ann Wagner, and Jason Smith 鈥斅爓hose districts include portions of the St. 亚洲无码 metro area.
Ahead of the vote, Wagner signaled her support for Johnson, calling him a 鈥渃ommitted conservative who is ready to lead the House as speaker.鈥
Two Illinois Republicans whose districts include portions of the Metro East聽鈥 Mike Bost and Mary Miller聽鈥 also backed Johnson.
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Democrats Cori Bush, D-St. 亚洲无码, Nikki Budzinski, D-Springfield, Ill., and Emanuel Cleaver, D-Kansas City, all voted for Jeffries.
In a statement after the vote, Budzinski said she was glad the GOP finally picked a speaker, but said the choice of Johnson was unfortunate, saying he 鈥渉as spent his time in Congress attacking our democracy and pushing to undermine Social Security, Medicare, reproductive rights and the LGBTQ+ community. I鈥檓 concerned that his inexperience and extreme views will be destructive to Congress and to the country.鈥
Despite her reservations about Johnson, Budsinski said she 鈥減ledged to work with anyone 鈥 Democrat or Republican 鈥 to get things done for my constituents in Central and Southern Illinois and I remain fully committed to bipartisanship.鈥
Bush also issued a statement blasting the new speaker, calling him 鈥渄angerous鈥 and 鈥渁n anti-democracy, anti-LGBTQ+, and anti-abortion extremist.鈥
鈥淚t should trouble every person in our country that Republicans have decided to rally around Mike Johnson, as it serves as a direct window into the kind of world they are trying to build. A world of inequality and injustice. Their antics and failure to lead are deadly to our communities. I will continue to fight against this circus to protect the people of St. 亚洲无码,鈥 she said.
Johnson succeeds Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted as speaker on Oct. 3 when a dissident group of eight Republicans led by U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz forced a vote on a motion to vacate, which was supported by the Democrats.
Johnson is a constitutional lawyer and served as the senior spokesman for the Alliance Defending Freedom, a prominent conservative legal group that pushes back against LGBTQ and abortion rights. His legislative record has an A+ rating with Susan B. Anthony List, a prominent anti-abortion group. He organized a friend of the court brief supporting a lawsuit asking the Supreme Court to block the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Includes reporting by the Kansas City Star.
Updated at 3:56 p.m. with a statement from Rep. Cori Bush.