Mike Johnson, a political unknown, united Republicans to become House speaker. Here's how he did it.

WASHINGTON – Mike Johnson by all accounts is a political unknown outside of Washington and his home state of Louisiana.

But in the span of about one day, the little-known Republican ascended to the highest position in the House when he was elected the 56th speaker of the lower chamber Wednesday afternoon.

Johnson’s new second-in-command and fellow Louisianan, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, gave a subtle nod to Johnson’s low profile, joking Wednesday that Americans might have to Google the new speaker. Johnson, who was the No. 5-ranking House Republican as the conference’s vice chair, is a political dark horse compared with other members of Congress.

And stacked up against the other leaders in House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.; Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.; and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Johnson is certainly a newcomer to political leadership, having entered the House in 2017.

The newly crowned speaker’s quiet presence on Capitol Hill in part contributed to his seemingly meteoric rise to the speakership. Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., one of the GOP lawmakers who voted to oust Johnson’s predecessor, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., lauded Johnson as “boring” and described him as a “goober.”

Burchett’s praise for Johnson isn’t unique. In the final vote to crown a speaker, not a single Republican lawmaker voted against Johnson. The new leader managed to do what so many GOP lawmakers lamented on Capitol Hill – it had looked as if no one in the world could get the votes needed to become speaker.

Bringing together a fractured House GOP wasn't 'magic'

Johnson’s ability to unite the Republican conference, which seemed like an impossible task just days ago, wasn’t “magic,” Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, told USA TODAY. Once he became the nominee, there was no need for Johnson to try to persuade any holdouts like his predecessors.

Scalise, the first Republican speaker pick, attempted to persuade hard-right lawmakers to fall behind him but withdrew from the race just one day after securing the nomination as it became clear there was no convincing ultra-conservatives.

House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, was the second nominee, but House Republicans decided to drop him after the Ohio Republican failed to persuade GOP holdouts to support him.

The third nominee, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., fielded questions for hours from conservative holdouts to try to alleviate their concerns in his quest for the speakership, only to drop out shortly after securing the nomination.

Their failed efforts come after McCarthy endured 15 ballots in January to secure the gavel, making concession after concession to his holdouts to win the speakership.

Johnson on the other hand, had to do none of that.

“It was just OK. It was finally just OK. That’s all that happened. There was no moment he had to convince people. There were just no members that had a problem or a valid reason with him,” Crenshaw said.

The Louisiana Republican is, as Crenshaw puts it, a “nice guy” that no member had qualms about. His fellow GOP lawmakers all seem to agree with that assessment.

“He’s a very nice guy. He has no enemies,” Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., told USA TODAY.

Gallagher entered Congress in 2017, the same year as Johnson. The two served on the House Armed Services Committee, but Gallagher said he wouldn’t say he knows Johnson well.

Johnson’s fellow Louisianan Republicans who are closer to him say he has the chops to guide a House Republican conference that has proven to be unwieldy at times.

“I’ve known Mike for a number of years. He’s a man of integrity. He’s a man of grace and fairness,” said Rep. Julia Letlow, R-La. “He has shown us that he has what it takes to unify.”

Johnson’s relatively low profile in Congress was likely a major asset for him in his pursuit of the gavel, one of his rivals in the speaker’s race said.

“I think everybody was looking for somebody who didn’t have a lot of negatives about him. Sometimes when you’re not known, you don’t have any negatives,” Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla., told USA TODAY. Hern ran against Johnson twice for the gavel but ultimately threw his support behind him.

“It wasn't only about getting the votes to get there. It was who didn’t have the votes against them,” said Hern, chair of the Republican Study Committee, the largest group of House Republicans, numbering about 170.

Johnson's quick push for the speakership

Behind closed doors, according to House Republicans, there was barely any heavy lifting needed for Johnson to clinch the speakership. In one moment, Johnson was the speaker-designee, and in the next he was speaker, unifying the House Republican conference.

Johnson won the gavel so fast, his wife couldn’t make it in time to Washington to see him sworn in.

“She’s spent the last couple of weeks on her knees in prayer to the Lord. And, um, she’s a little worn out,” he quipped shortly after winning.

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., told USA TODAY “this all came very quick” for Johnson, but the Pennsylvania lawmaker expressed confidence in his ability to lead a fractious House Republican conference.

“He’s going to have to grow into the job,” he said. “But he’s a good person. That’s 99% of it right there.”

Johnson’s appeal to every corner of the House Republican conference includes his policy stances that mirror those of the most conservative lawmakers in the lower chamber. For instance, he has voted against codifying same-sex marriage and continued U.S. aid to Ukraine.

Perhaps the most notable thing about Johnson, and what also happens to be House Democrats' main gripe about him, was his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. As former President Donald Trump sought to reverse his defeat, Johnson led an amicus brief signed by more than 100 GOP lawmakers calling for the Supreme Court to overturn Trump’s loss in key battleground states.

Johnson has yet to say whether he believes Trump lost the 2020 election. After his nomination, when a reporter asked him about his efforts to revert Trump’s loss, Johnson shook his head, smiled and said “next question.”

“We don’t agree on a lot of policy issues, but that’s OK. He represents his district and I represent mine,” Fitzpatrick said.

Fitzpatrick is co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, a group evenly divided between moderate House Democrats and House Republicans. The group’s very mission, which is to bridge the gap between both sides of the aisle, seems antithetical to Johnson’s voting record.

Regardless, Fitzpatrick said, he still has his “voting card,” along with other moderates who might not be as amicable to Johnson’s conservative beliefs, such as Reps. Marc Molinaro, R-N.Y., and Don Bacon, R-Neb.

“We still have a four-vote margin in the House,” he added. “We’re going to make sure that the legislative agenda that passes the House is reflective of our country.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How Mike Johnson unified House Republicans to become speaker