Update (Oct. 25)
After Tuesday saw the rise and fall of another Republican nominee for Speaker of the House, Republicans are expected to bring forward their new nominee to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives at 12 p.m. Wednesday, when the House is back in session.
According to reports from The Hill, House Republicans nominated U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La. for the Speaker of the House position on Tuesday evening, coming after the Speaker bid for U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn. and the House Majority Whip, ended in a number of hours on Tuesday after some Republicans said he was not conservative enough.
After Johnson’s nomination, Indiana lawmakers are throwing their support behind Johnson. U.S. Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind. District 3 was one of the vocal opponents of Emmer but threw his support behind Johnson, stating on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that it was time to “get back to work.”
“Mike Johnson is a man of integrity and a principled conservative,” Banks said. “I will be proud to cast my vote on behalf of northeast Indiana for him on the floor (on Wednesday) to make him the next Speaker of the House!”
U.S. Rep. Larry Bucshon, R-Ind. District 8 also threw his support behind Johnson on social media, congratulating him on the nomination.
“Let’s now have a unified vote (on Wednesday) on the House floor,” Bucshon said.
U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind. District 5 also expressed her support for Johnson late Tuesday evening, stating on X that she believes Johnson “is the right person for these times to restore our institution and deliver for the American people.”
U.S. Rep. Rudy Yakym, R-Ind. District 2 said that Johnson is a “principled and proven conservative leader who is respected across the board, prior to Wednesday’s Speaker of the House vote.
“I’ll be proud to vote for him for Speaker of the House today so we can get back to work on securing the border and delivering for Americans struggling under this Administration,” Yakym said.
The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to be back in session at 12 p.m. FOX59/CBS4 will keep track of how Indiana lawmakers vote during the upcoming vote below:
Fourth Vote
| James Baird | Republican | Mike Johnson |
| Jim Banks | Republican | Mike Johnson |
| Larry Bucshon | Republican | Mike Johnson |
| Erin Houchin | Republican | Mike Johnson |
| Greg Pence | Republican | Mike Johnson |
| Victoria Spartz | Republican | Mike Johnson |
| Rudy Yakym III | Republican | Mike Johnson |
| Andre Carson | Democrat | Hakeem Jeffries |
| Frank Mrvan | Democrat | Hakeem Jeffries |
At the end of the fourth vote on Friday, the unofficial total was 220 votes for Johnson and 209 votes for U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-NY, and the minority leader for the U.S. House of Representatives. No one voted for another person and no one voted present. After four votes, Johnson has been elected Speaker of the House.
Indiana Lawmaker Reactions after Speaker vote
In a statement after the vote, U.S. Rep. Greg Pence, R-Ind. District 6 congratulated Johnson on being elected the Speaker of the House.
“Mike is a good man, a principled conservative and will get the job done for the American people,” a post from Pence on X read. “Now, let’s get to work.”
In a post that included a picture with Johnson, U.S. Rep. James Baird congratulated Johnson, saying he is “proud to get back to work for the American People.”
Yakym also congratulated Johnson, stating that Johnson “will make a fantastic Speaker who will fight and win for freedom and… conservative values.”
“Now, let’s get the People’s House back to work for the American people,” Yakym said.
In a full statement sent to FOX59/CBS4, Yakym said:
Congratulations to Mike Johnson on being elected the 56th Speaker of the House. A principled and proven conservative leader, Mike is respected across the board, and he is the right man at the right time to unite our Conference and advance our Republican vision for America.
Now that this Speaker election is finally behind us, we immediately need to get back to governing and delivering on the people’s business. That means securing the southern border President Biden has flung wide open, supporting Israel, finishing our appropriations bills, lowering inflation, and restoring fiscal responsibility.
I look forward to working with Speaker Johnson to fight back against President Biden’s far-left agenda and deliver conservative, commonsense solutions for Hoosiers.”
Yakym
U.S. Rep. Erin Houchin, R-Ind. District 9 congratulated Johnson on a “unified Republican vote.”
“I have faith that he will lead us with conservative principles, always putting America first,” Houchin said. “More than ready to resume our work in the 118th Congress.”
In an additional post, Houchin said Johnson is a “well-respected leader” in the republican conference and “a friend to all.”
“Under his leadership, we will secure our southern border, protect religious liberty and deliver results for the American people,” Houchin said.
After the vote, Banks also congratulated Johnson, saying it’s time to “get to work for the American people.”
Mike Johnson is one of the most trustworthy men in Washington and the conservative leader we need to unify our conference after a tumultuous three weeks. From his steadfast defense of life to holding the Biden administration accountable and reining in our reckless spending, Mike Johnson is a proven America First fighter who understands we are in a battle to save our country.
Speaker Johnson’s background as a constitutional lawyer make him the right man at the right time to lead the fight for our conservative agenda and effectively communicate that message to the American people.
I was proud to support Speaker Johnson on the House Floor today. Now let’s get back to work!
Banks
In a statement provided to FOX59/CBS4, Bucshon said he was proud to join his colleagues on the House floor to vote for Johnson.
I am confident that he will unite House Republicans around a conservative agenda to rein in Washington’s out of control spending, secure our southern border, and hold the Biden administration accountable. The House Republican Majority is the only thing standing between Democrats and one-party rule in Washington at a critical time in our nation. The Biden administration’s weak foreign policy emboldened Russia to invade Ukraine and Iran to support Hamas’s inhumane terrorist attack in Israel. Out-of-control government spending that took place during the two years that Democrats controlled the White House, Senate, and House of Representatives has resulted in the federal debt breaching $33 trillion for the first time ever and record high inflation for Hoosiers. Radical open-border policies have plunged our southern border into disarray, resulting in the worst border crisis in American history. In the annals of history, the effort to remove Speaker McCarthy, led by a small number of House Republicans and every House Democrat, will go down as a gross mistake that has paralyzed the House’s work for weeks and further eroded public confidence in the House as an institution. Partisan politics, personal vendettas, and political ambition should never threaten the prioritization of governance. Mike Johnson’s leadership and vision will allow the House to move past the events of the past few weeks and get back to work for the American people so we can fulfill our commitment to building a nation rooted in safety, accountability, and freedom.
Bucshon
In a post on social media, U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind. District 5 said she believes Johnson is the best person for the Speaker of the House.
“Speaker Mike Johnson is what our nation needs right now!” she said. “God loves our Republic and has a reason for everything. Congress must and will deliver for the American people!”
U.S. Senator Mike Braun of Indiana also weighed in on the Speaker of the House vote, congratulating Johnson.
“I look forward to working with Speaker Johnson on passing a strong conservative legislative agenda and setting our fiscal house in order with a real budget and no more omnibus inflation bombs,” Braun said.
This story will also be updated throughout the day with more statements from Indiana lawmakers regarding the Speaker of the House race.
Original Story:
INDIANAPOLIS — After a brief break, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are expected to come together on Tuesday to decide the next lawmaker to be the party’s nominee for Speaker of the House.
According to reports from The Hill, House Republicans hosted a closed-door internal election for the nominee on Tuesday morning. After a nominee is chosen, another vote for Speaker of the House is expected to occur, as the seat continues to be vacant.
According to previous reports, the House hosted three unsuccessful votes to name the Speaker of the House earlier this month with U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio as the Republican nominee. During the third vote, unofficial total was 194 votes for Jordan, 210 votes for U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-NY, and the minority leader for the U.S. House of Representatives, and 25 votes for another person.
The candidates in the running for the Republican nominee for the Speaker of the House position going into Tuesday’s party vote include:
- U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn. and the House Majority Whip;
- U.S. Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla., chair of the Republican Study Committee;
- U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., House GOP vice chair;
- U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., member of the House Freedom Cacus;
- U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Mich., the highest-ranking military officer elected in Congress
- U.S. Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga.
- U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas
Officials said that if every member of the U.S. House of Representatives is present during the Speaker of the House vote and votes for a candidate, the Republican nominee can lose four Republican votes on the House floor and still win.
According to reports from The Hill, U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn. and the House Majority Whip won the Republican nomination for the Speaker of the House. The U.S. House of Representatives is currently in “recess subject to the call of the chair” after an initial session was called at 11 a.m.
Around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Emmer dropped the Republican nomination for Speaker of the House. According to reports from The Hill, this comes after a number of Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind. District 3, said they would not back him on the House floor during the Speaker vote.
Indiana Lawmaker Reactions
In a social media statement from U.S. Rep. Andre Carson, D-Ind. District 7, Carson stressed that the U.S. Congress has been without a Speaker of the House for 21 days.
“We should be working to lower costs, invest in working families to grow the middle class, and protect our national security,” Carson said. “Republican extremists have paralyzed us, with another government shutdown looming.”
In a statement provided to FOX59/CBS4 from U.S. Rep. Larry Bucshon, R-Ind District 8, he said he will support whoever is the Republican nominee for speaker.
“House Republicans need to unite around a Speaker that will best promote the conservative agenda for Hoosiers and all Americans,” Bucshon said. “There is a lot of talent within our Republican Conference, and I will support whoever wins our internal election on the House floor. It’s time for the House to return to work quickly and united in order to provide results for the American people.”
In a statement on Baird’s X account, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Baird said that the “political games in Washington” need to be stopped.
“America and her allies are facing serious national security threats,” Baird said. “For the sake of our troops, we must stop the political games in Washington and get back to governing!”
In a statement sent out by the office of U.S. Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind. District 3, Banks stressed that he will not vote for Emmer to be Speaker of the House on the House floor.
House Republicans need to get back to work so we can fight the Biden administration’s radical woke agenda, secure the border, stand with Israel, and cut wasteful spending. First, we need to elect a Speaker who is committed to that conservative agenda.
I’ve supported every Republican nominee to be Speaker of the House so far, but I will not vote for Tom Emmer on the House floor.
The left-flank of our conference blocked Speaker-designee Jim Jordan then nominated the single most liberal member of leadership to continue business as usual in Washington. They are holding our conference hostage and pushing Republicans to betray our voters and abandon our promises to the American people. I won’t go along with it.”
Banks
This story will also be updated below with reactions and statements from Indiana lawmakers.
