‘Extremism over common sense’: Nevada’s reps react to House speaker selection

Afterthe U.S. House of Representatives elected a speaker following a lengthy and contentious process, Nevada Democrats are making clear their concerns about a far-right conservative leading the chamber.

Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., was selected House Speaker with a 220 to 209 vote Wednesday. The little known Republican lawmaker — who was first elected in 2016 — is a staunch conservative who played a key role in efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Johnson also opposes abortion rights and same-sex marriage and has expressed skepticism about human-caused climate change.

“After more than three weeks of House Republican chaos bringing our work for the American people to a standstill, the House GOP has given up, caved in, and put extremism over common sense governance,” Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., said in a statement.

House of Representatives’ operations were halted for three works following the ouster of Rep. Kevin McCarthy, and the majority party made multiple attempts to overcome infighting and elect a speaker. Republicans went through three other nominees, none of whom could secure enough votes, before electing Johnson.

Rep. Mark Amodei, Nevada’s lone Republican representative, has followed suit with the Republican House majority throughout the speaker nomination process and voted for the nominee with the most GOP votes.

Amodei said in a statement ahead of the speaker vote that he talked with Johnson about issues important to Nevadans, such as land-transfer bills for Clark County and Northern Nevada and the acquisition of C-130J planes for the Nevada National Guard.

Amodei had a conversation with Johnson’s chief of staff Wednesday morning about the legislation Amodei is working on and left the conversation pleased, he said.

“I appreciate the timeliness of Mr. Johnson’s response to my questions, and following my discussions with him and his staff, (I) have confidence in his awareness and support of Nevada priorities,” Amodei said in a statement.

As chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., said in a statement from the caucus it is unfortunate and unsurprising that the candidate House Republicans chose is a “MAGA extremist” who plotted to overturn the 2020 election.

“This alone should disqualify anyone from becoming House Speaker and sitting second in line to the presidency, and yet for the Republicans it was not,” Horsford said.

Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., said while she is relieved House Republicans selected a speaker, her focus remains on serving her constituents in the 1st Congressional District.

“It is time for Republicans to work with us to prevent a government shutdown, deliver aid to our foreign allies, and cut costs for families,” she said in a statement.

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.