The fourth time may be the charm for House Republicans who say their latest nominee for speaker, Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana, likely has enough votes to win the gavel on the House floor on Wednesday.
Mr. Johnson, some Republican lawmakers say, can win the roughly 217 GOP votes needed to become speaker and end a stalemate that has lasted more than three weeks and has left the House unable to function.
The third nominee, Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota, gave up his quest after four hours, in the face of opposition from two dozen conservatives and former President Donald Trump. He also enjoys the backing of Trump allies, who praised his conservative stance on spending and other key issues. A lawyer, Mr. Johnson helped to author a legal challenge to the 2020 presidential election results.
Mr. Johnson won the backing of all but a handful of GOP lawmakers who met privately Tuesday night. About 20 GOP lawmakers were not at the meeting, so there could be unknown holdouts. Three lawmakers voted present. One of them, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, announced Wednesday he’ll back Mr Johnson in the floor vote.
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