Mike Johnson elected House speaker, putting Louisiana Republican in the spotlight

Republican Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana was elected speaker of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, ending a three-week leadership crisis that has paralyzed Congress.

Vice chairman of the House Republican conference and a hard-right conservative, Johnson had maintained a low public profile until he was thrust into the spotlight this week after securing the party’s nomination for speaker.

Johnson was elected unanimously by the 220 Republicans who voted, despite being the fourth nominee tapped by the GOP conference in two weeks, as the deeply divided party repeatedly failed to put forward a candidate who had enough support.