On October 24, Mike Johnson was nominated as Speaker of the House, and on October 25, he was officially elected. Johnson filled the speaker position after 22 days of a stalemate in deciding on a House Speaker. Johnson previously served as Louisiana congressman of the 4th district. Johnson is the 56th House Speaker and arguably one of the most controversial. Johanson’s election has sparked controversy because of his record of far-right conservatism, previously working for the Extremist Alliance Defending Fund. This evangelical organization played a role in nullifying the Roe v Wade court case. 
What exactly is the role of the Speaker of the House? The House Speaker is second in line to the presidency after the vice president, exemplifying the high position of this role. The House Speaker has many functions, mainly articulating the agenda, managing the house floor, and overseeing accounting and procurement. The Speaker has been historically a member of the political majority, currently the Republican party. The Speaker handles assignments and collaborates to structure debates on the House floor. The Speaker also ensures that the many rules of the House floor are followed. Laws in the House are essential to manage such a large number of people and legislative bodies.
The former Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, was removed as Speaker of the Home after a long battle to get elected. The conservative members of the house voted out McCarthy after a much anticipated red win in elections that didn’t happen and because McCarthy pushed against the government shutdown, a view most Republicans disagree with.
Johnson previously worked for a group that helped to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022. He also opposes gender-affirming care, gun control, and same-sex marriage. He was a vocal supporter of President Trump in 2020 when he claimed fraud in the election. He mostly opposes unions, wants strict oversight on security, opposes funding to Ukraine, and wants to cut off funding to education that promotes sexual-oriented material. Johnson also believes that the Bible’s words should be interpreted precisely as written and that God has ordained his appointment as Speaker. Johnson has also continuously criticized and said homosexuality is not natural and should be criminalized, another consequence of his beliefs. In 2016, Johnson suggested that school shootings happened because teachers taught evolution in schools, directly exemplifying how Johnson’s religious beliefs influenced his life. One of the main problems people have is that Johnson does not believe in the separation of church and state, a central idea in the founding of the United States. 
Mike Johnson will likely remain prevalent in the news. Johnson will probably be criticized and inspire more debates about the role of the Speaker of the House and the roles of church and state. He will likely always remain controversial and spark many differences.
