Mike Johnson, Louisiana’s 4th Congressional District Represenative, was elected the new House speaker on Oct. 25. According to ABC News, Johnson is the third-youngest House speaker elected this century and has the least congressional experience of anyone elected in over a century.
Johnson served in the Louisiana legislature for two years, has experience in constitutional law and is serving his fourth term as a congressional district representative.
He has a history voting against the interests of the LGBTQ+ community, which includes work with Exodus International, an organization that promoted conversion therapy in the early 2000s before shutting down in 2013.
The shutdown was followed by a statement released by the founder apologizing for all of the hurt that the group had caused while active. Johnson had historically partnered with Exodus International for “Day of Truth,” an annual anti-gay event.
As a dedicated conservative, Johnson also has a long history of opposing abortion rights and has received a grade of A+ from the Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America nonprofit organization.
Some voters are unhappy with the election of Johnson because of his extreme policies.
“I think that he has the potential to do good things, but with his staunch beliefs, there’s potential for trouble,” said Preston Adkins, a junior exercise science major. “I think for anything to get done, he needs to focus on party cooperation.”
Johnson defended Louisiana’s same-sex marriage ban in both 2004 and 2014 in front of the Supreme Court. He was also quoted saying that gay marriage was inherently unnatural. MSNBC reportedly expects that Democrats will use Johnson’s extremist beliefs and open-book personality to win back the House.
While on trial, former President Donald Trump said that he thinks Johnson is going to be a fantastic speaker.
During his time in office, Trump and Johnson were also very close. Johnson said that when he would make a call to the former president, it would be returned in less than a few hours. According to Politico, Johnson is a known strong supporter of Trump. He voted against certifying the 2020 election and establishing a national commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection.
“Johnson’s radical right views are what make him another candidate that will cause legislative gridlock,” said Chad Helton, a senior political science and criminal justice major.
The Founding Fathers never intended for political parties to cause the kind of divide that they do today. Parties were intended to be a way to organize elections and were formed before the first. President George Washington spoke about them in his farewell address.
“I have already intimated to you the danger of parties in the state, with particular reference to the founding of them on geographical discriminations,” Washington said. “Let me now take a more comprehensive view, and warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party, generally.”
Johnson is almost as far right as they come, causing more division within the House and in politics in general.
“I have noticed in American politics, there is a lot of division,” Adkins said. “There are no conversations, and nominating someone else that cannot listen to the other side is not going to work out. Politics should not be party versus party. If we’re going to be a melting pot, I think our politics should be too.”
