WASHINGTON — Republican Mike Johnson was elected speaker of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, ending lawmakers’ 22-day struggle to pick one of the top leadership positions in the U.S. government.

Johnson, 51, a three-term congressman and lower-level member of Republican leadership, won 220-209. He is now second in the presidential line of succession.

All 209 present House Democrats voted for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Johnson, from the Southern state of Louisiana, rallied Republicans around former President Donald Trump’s effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

In her floor speech nominating Johnson, Representative Elise Stefanik said Johnson is “a man of deep faith. Mike epitomizes what it means to be a servant leader. A deeply respected constitutional lawyer, Mike has dedicated his life to preserving America’s great principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

Johnson secured the Republican conference’s nomination late Tuesday after Representative Tom Emmer withdrew his candidacy earlier in the day. Trump posted on his Truth Social media platform early Tuesday afternoon that he did not know Emmer well and referred to him as a RINO — a term meaning Republican in Name Only.

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