New Speaker Mike Johnson projects unity after 3 weeks of chaos, expects 'aggressive' House schedule

Democrats looked to brand Rep. Mike Johnson before the House voted on his possible ascension to the speakership.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries cast him as out of step with the American mainstream on issues such as the 2020 election and abortion.

"Well, Mike Johnson, who's the newest nominee, has a very pleasant demeanor in terms of how he communicates, but his voting record is as extreme as the most extreme members of their conference with very few exceptions," Jeffries said in Washington Wednesday, pointing to his efforts to not have the 2020 election results certified.

Jeffries also cited Johnson's opposition to abortion, saying he seeks "to criminalize abortion care and impose a nationwide ban."

The Democratic National Committee also put out a memo hitting Johnson, hinting the party will seek to make him a boogeyman on the 2024 campaign trail if he clinches the gavel.

"Johnson would be the most extreme speaker of the House in history. Republicans nationwide will have to answer for his extreme MAGA track record of election denialism, abortion extremism, and bold-faced partisanship in 2024," DNC Executive Director Sam Cornale wrote in the memo obtained by ABC News.

Republican Rep. Mike Johnson, a conservative hard-liner and staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, became the GOP's fourth nominee this month.

The 51-year-old was first elected to Congress in 2016 and is currently serving his fourth term. He represents Louisiana's 4th Congressional District, which includes the northwestern part of the state.

Johnson has been a vocal Trump supporter and was one of the 147 GOP lawmakers who voted to overturn the results of the 2020 election. He also led the charge to get 125 of his Republican colleagues to sign an amicus brief to the Supreme Court, supporting Texas' lawsuit that would have invalidated the election results in key battleground states.

Johnson has a long history of opposing abortion rights. He has repeatedly voted against Ukraine aid. Also, he has opposed protections for same-sex marriage.

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The House has gaveled into session and the opening prayer and Pledge of Allegiance recited, setting up an eventual roll call vote to elect a speaker.

Before the vote, a member of each party will introduce their nominee for speaker, anticipated to be Rep. Johnson for the Republicans and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for the Democrats. Members will then vote in alphabetical order.

The House will cast speaker votes at noon Wednesday, according to the official notice to members.

The first vote will be a quorum call. Following nominating speeches, the House will move to the election of the speaker of the House.

The clerk will call the roll alphabetically and members will then vote.

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Rep. Mike Johnson wins GOP speaker nominationA bitterly divided Republican Party tried to project unity for their new speaker nominee, Rep. Mike Johnson.

ABCNews.com