Who is Mike Johnson? Trump nominates Republican Congressman for another term as House Speaker

Mike Johnson on Wednesday (Nov 13) secured the nomination to remain in his role as the Republican House Speaker, after an endorsement from US President-elect Donald Trump ahead of a full House vote in January.

While Johnson secured the nomination with a voice vote in a closed-door session, the real test will come when he needs to secure the full House vote of 218 members in January.

Johnson faces no serious challengers, however, dissent within the ranks, particularly from hard-right conservatives, can pose a problem. As per the Guardian, members of the Freedom Caucus are withholding their votes as leverage to demand promises from Johnson.

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Trump backs Johnson

Donald Trump, in a private meeting with House Republicans, said he was with Johnson all the way, reported The Guardian, citing a person familiar with the remarks. Johnson, meanwhile, has positioned himself as a strong ally of Trump, praising the former president as the “comeback king.”

Johnson's political journey

Mike Johnson boasts a remarkable political journey. He unexpectedly became Speaker after Kevin McCarthy's ousting over a year ago.

Johnson is the 56th Speaker of the SU House of Representatives and a Republican Congressman serving Louisiana's Fourth District. He became the speaker with a tenure of less than 6.8 years in the House and is the second person to win the post with that less experience. He was first elected to Congress on December 10, 2016, by the largest margin of victory in his region in more than 50 years, and is currently serving in his fourth term in Congress.

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Mike earned his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Louisiana State University in 1995, and his Juris Doctorate from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University in 1998.

(With inputs from agencies)