The long wait for a new Speaker of the House is finally over, with Republican Mike Johnson of Louisiana managing to accrue 220 votes, surpassing the dreaded 217 number that eluded Jim Jordan (R-OH). Votes fell strictly along party lines, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) garnering 209 votes. Jeffries now has the dubious honor of losing 19 straight speaker elections, having previously gone up against Kevin McCarthy and Jordan.

🚨🚨BREAKING -- Rep. MIKE JOHNSON has won the House speakership. Every House Republican voted for the Louisiana Republican, vaulting him from the vice chairmanship of the House Republican Conference to the chamber's top position.

The 51-year old will be the 56th speaker of the…

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 25, 2023

It has been a chaotic 22 days since Kevin McCarthy was ousted as speaker by the "MAGA wing" of House Republicans. Steve Scalise (R-LA) and Jim Jordan were early frontrunners to replace McCarthy, but Scalise bowed out early, and Jordan failed to win over a significant portion of the House GOP conference.

As recently as Tuesday afternoon, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) was the Republican's speaker designee, an accolade that lasted around four hours and 10 minutes. Donald Trump made it clear that he was no fan of Emmer's, meaning things were back where they started with a disgruntled "MAGA wing." Emmer withdrew by Tuesday afternoon, and Johnson became the designee by Tuesday night.

It was a positive sign that a resolution was in sight when Trump threw his support behind Johnson, saying, "He’s respected by all and that’s what we need." Trump added that GOP lawmakers needed to "get it done fast!"

So, why Mike Johnson? RedState's Joe Cunningham had some thoughts:

One of the things that worked in Johnson's favor, however, is the fact that while he was once the Chairman of the Republican Study Committee, he is not a member of the House Freedom Caucus. Any affiliation with that group would likely have tanked his bid for Speaker, considering the strong feelings most of the more moderate wing has about Jim Jordan and how just about everyone seems to have about Matt Gaetz. Byron Donalds, also of the HFC, could not get further in his bid for Speaker due to that (as well as his relative inexperience).

Johnson seems popular within his conference, with Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) calling him Mike "Magic" Johnson and Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) concluding, "We are back and better than ever." 

Soon after the vote, Johnson took to X/Twitter to offer the nation a taste of what his speakership tenure might look like:

It is the honor of a lifetime to have been elected the 56th Speaker of the House.

Thank you to my colleagues, friends, staff, and family for the unmatched support throughout this process.

It has been an arduous few weeks, and a reminder that the House is as complicated and…

— Rep. Mike Johnson (@RepMikeJohnson) October 25, 2023

Hakeem Jeffries introduced Johnson as the new speaker Wednesday afternoon. Johnson then took control of the gavel, signaling the House of Representatives is back in the business of legislating.