Republicans, eager to put an end to the mayhem, nominate Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House following Emmer's withdrawal.

AP/WASHINGTON — Late on Tuesday night, Republicans selected Rep. Mike Johnson as their newest candidate for speaker of the House, hours after Rep. Tom Emmer, their first choice, abruptly withdrew in response to criticism from hardline GOP lawmakers and Donald Trump.

Lower-ranking House GOP leadership team member Johnson of Louisiana emerges as the fourth Republican nominee after Emmer and the other three failed in an almost ridiculous cycle of political infighting that has resulted from GOP factions vying for control following Kevin McCarthy's resignation.

Refusing to come together, moderate conservatives don't want a hardliner, and far-right members won't tolerate a more traditional speaker. Johnson received a majority of the vote in secret voting, but before the nominee is anticipated to face a House floor vote on Wednesday, nearly all Republicans must

Following the incident, lawmakers surrounded Johnson and took photographs with him while yelling, "Mike! Mike! Mike!" as a show of solidarity.

After three weeks, the Republicans have been frittering away their majority, which is not at all how the House is supposed to operate. To some, this is a tiresome embarrassment, to others it is democracy in action.

Republican lawmakers are anxious and worn out, and they are making a valiant effort to move on. Rep. Steve Womack, a Republican from Arkansas, called the current state of governance "pretty sad." "Perhaps after four, five, six, or ten attempts, we'll get this thing right."

Tuesday afternoon, Emmer abruptly departed the facility where he had been having private talks with Republicans after withdrawing. Later at the Capitol, he stated that his decision to withdraw was unaffected by Trump's opposition.

He stated of the GOP majority, "I made my decision based on my relationship with the conference." He declared that he would back the next nominee who steps forward. "We'll finish it."

As he was leaving the New York courtroom where he was charged with corporate fraud, Trump stated that his "un-endorsement" had to have affected Emmer's candidacy.

Referring to his Make America Great Again campaign slogan, Trump, the party's front-runner for the 2024 presidential election, said, "He wasn't MAGA."

After receding behind closed doors, House Republicans devoted most of their time to seeking a unifying leader capable of reopening the House and resuming the legislative business of the United States Congress.

Quickly, focus shifted to Johnson, the second-highest

As a constitutional lawyer, Johnson has mobilized Republicans in support of Trump's lawsuit to nullify the results of the 2020 election.

If Johnson were to become speaker, Louisianans would have two powerful GOP leaders, surpassing Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who was turned down by hardliners when he campaigned for speaker.

However, Johnson's offer was quickly rejected by hardliners, and a fresh slate of contenders was revealed. They included Reps. a few others, including Florida's Byron Donalds, a Trump admirer who finished third on the morning ballot.

Ultimately, Johnson received more votes than any other candidate with 128 on the evening ballot. McCarthy received an unexpected 43 votes despite not being on the ticket.

One notion that was floated, which NBC News first revealed, was to reinstate McCarthy as

Legislators said it was being offered as a means of bringing the conference together, but many believed it would not succeed.

Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., stated, "I think it's good to have fresh ideas and fresh people sometimes."

Even though Emmer received 117 votes in a morning roll call that was held behind closed doors, he lost more than two dozen Republicans, falling well short of what will be required at the upcoming House floor tally.

Emmer has drawn criticism from prominent hard-right provocateur Steve Bannon and other Trump supporters. Some cite his endorsement of a proposal for same-sex marriage and his alleged slights against the outgoing president. Several far-right organizations that were exerting pressure on parliamentarians about the speaker's decision swiftly denounced Emmer.

After excluding the best candidates,

With Republicans outnumbering Democrats 221-212 in the House, any nominee from the GOP can afford a few critics to secure the gavel.

The head of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., remarked, "We're in the same cul-de-sac."

Nevertheless, one of the hardliners, Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., declared, "This is what democracy looks like."

With difficult obstacles ahead, Republicans have been stumbling around for the entire month, unable to carry out ordinary business while fighting amongst themselves.

If Congress cannot approve budgetary legislation by the deadline of November 17 in order to keep government operations and services operating, the federal government faces a shutdown in a few weeks. In the short term, President Joe Biden has requested $105 billion in aid from Congress to support Israel and Ukraine in the midst of

Johnson, who finished a solid second in the morning voting, threw his support behind Emmer. Donalds and Rep. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma, a prominent conservative and former McDonald's franchise owner who begged his colleagues for support by bribing them with hamburgers, were among those who were ousted throughout repeated voting rounds. Reps. Pete Sessions of Texas, Austin Scott of Georgia, Jack Bergman of Michigan, Gary Palmer of Alabama, and Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania all withdrew.

ard-right congressman from Florida, Rep. Matt Gaetz, who orchestrated the removal of McCarthy, has stated that Hern, Donalds, or Johnson, among the other candidates, would be a "phenomenal" pick for speaker.

Gaetz did, however, vote for Emmer, even though those who supported McCarthy's removal did not.

A number of hardliners are opposing a leader who supported the budget agreement that McCarthy and Biden made earlier this year, which set government spending caps that far-right Republicans now seek to revoke. With the funding deadline coming up in a month, they are aiming for deeper reductions to federal programs and services.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia stated that she needed guarantees that the contenders will look into Biden's and other senior Cabinet officials' impeachment.

The Financial Services Committee chairman and nominal speaker pro tempore of the House during the unrest is Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., who wears a bow tie. Selecting a more permanent speaker is his primary responsibility.

Some Democrats and Republicans would just like to give McHenry more authority.