Chaos is a ladder—and Rep. Mike Johnson (R–La.) has successfully climbed it.
Johnson was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives in a narrow 220-209 vote on Wednesday afternoon, capping an unprecedented three-week period where the House did not have a speaker following the ejection of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R–Calif.) from the top role. Since then, several more prominent Republicans have tried and failed to secure the speakership. Johnson, a relatively new and low-ranking member to make the jump to speaker, ultimately captured the prize by securing support from the right-wing faction that deposed McCarthy and the centrists that blocked the ascendency of other alternatives like Rep. Jim Jordan (R–Ohio).
