Republicans unanimously elected Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) as House speaker on Wednesday, eagerly elevating a deeply conservative but lesser-known leader to the major seat of U.S. power and ending three weeks of political chaos.
Rep. John Duarte (R-Hughson), a freshman legislator who represents a portion of Turlock, issued a less-than-effusive statement after Johnson’s victory.
“I voted for Mike Johnson for speaker so we can refocus and get back to work on behalf of the people we serve,” the statement read. “Our capacity to work and get things done is essential to both our country and the broader global community.”
Duarte represents the redrawn 13th congressional district, one that, had it existed in 2020, would’ve been carried by President Joe Biden. Duarte defeated former Assemblymember Adam Gray (D-Merced) by less than 600 votes in 2022, and is expected to face a tough challenge from Gray next year.
"I was very much OK with Kevin McCarthy,” Duarte said of the former speaker who was ousted Oct. 3 when Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) called for a motion to vacate the position. “There was no reason for him to be taken out. One of primary roles of the speaker is to build a majority. You had one person do all the work of building a majority, and then had it taken away by a very small faction. You just don’t want to see somebody work as hard as Kevin worked, and then have it taken away like that.”
Johnson, 51, swept through on the first ballot with support from all 220 Republicans anxious to put the past weeks of tumult behind them. He was quickly sworn into office, second in line to the presidency.
“The people’s House is back in business,” Johnson declared after taking the gavel.
A lower-ranked member of the GOP leadership team, Johnson emerged as the fourth Republican nominee in what had become an almost absurd cycle of political infighting, with GOP factions jockeying for power following McCarthy’s ouster. While not the party’s top choice for the gavel, the deeply religious and even-keeled Johnson has few foes, and an important GOP backer: Donald Trump.
But the ex-president’s endorsement had no influence on Duarte’s vote.
“None whatsoever,” said Duarte.
Biden called to congratulate the new speaker and said it’s “time for all of us to act responsibly” with challenges ahead to fund the government, and provide aid for Ukraine and Israel.
Duarte supports aid to both countries.
“Aid to Israel going to happen,” said Duarte. “But I don’t think it’s going to get strung up and be packaged with aid to Ukraine and border security.
“Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Santa Clarita) put out a thoughtful paper on the requirement for what aid to Ukraine would be: more oversight, more strategic guidelines form the president, and more accountability. I think that will probably get tied to border security.”
Duarte would also like to see that tied to fixes for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
“It’s something I’ve been working on with some of the mayors and other local leaders in my district — a bipartisan effort to get DACA fixed.”
As for funding the government by the Nov. 17 deadline, less than three weeks away, Duarte is optimistic, albeit confounded by the actions of his eight Republican colleagues who spearheaded McCarthy’s fall.
“Realize that we have about 75 percent of the discretionary spending bills passed,” said Duarte. “It’s all the smaller bills that we’re working through. But the ‘Straitjacket Eight’ complained that McCarthy filed a continuing resolution, but it’s pretty broadly accepted that the new speaker will have to file a longer CR to get the rest of it done. They made this about the CR and now we’re going to have a longer CR.
“We’ll get through it, but if anyone is waiting for this to make sense, they might have a long wait.”
Rep. Tom McClintock (R-El Dorado Hills), who also represents portions of Turlock in the 5th congressional district, did not respond to a request for comment.
— The Associated Press contributed to this article.
