House speaker elected: How Arizona's congressional delegation voted in final round

Republicans on Wednesday elected Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., as House speaker, ending three weeks of turmoil as the majority struggled to agree on a new leader.

The House had been without a speaker since Oct. 3, when the far-right faction of the Republican caucus initiated a push to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., from the House’s top job. Eight Republicans, including Reps. Andy Biggs and Eli Crane of Arizona, joined with House Democrats in voting to remove McCarthy.

The Republican conference since has cycled through four nominees, each failing to obtain the majority vote needed to take office.

As speaker, Johnson now faces a Nov. 17 deadline to pass funds necessary to keep the government running and avoid a partial shutdown. In a letter sent to fellow Republicans earlier this week, Johnson laid out a schedule that includes a short-term funding plan, which would allow the conference several months to pass larger spending bills.

The House is also expected to soon take up President Joe Biden's request for military aid to Israel and Ukraine, and a potential domestic spending package.

Here's how Arizona's delegation voted on Wednesday.

Rep. Andy Biggs — Mike Johnson

Biggs, R-Ariz., who was among the Republicans who initially voted to dump McCarthy, voted for Johnson. Biggs congratulated Johnson in a post on social media following the vote, calling Johnson "intelligent, a true conservative, and an experienced constitutional scholar."

Rep. Juan Ciscomani — Mike Johnson

Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., also voted for Johnson. He has previously called McCarthy's removal "pointless, unproductive, and harmful."

Rep. Eli Crane — Mike Johnson

Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., voted for Johnson. Crane congratulated Johnson following the election, re-tweeting an earlier social media post he had made on the speaker's race.

"We need to change the ineffective and dishonest way this town works," Crane wrote. "I'm prepared to support a speaker who agrees."

Rep. Ruben Gallego — Hakeem Jeffries

Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., joined the House's entire Democratic delegation in voting for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

Gallego was tardy to the vote because he was meeting with someone whose family members had been held hostage or killed by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, Gallego's office said.

Rep. Raúl Grijalva — Hakeem Jeffries

Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., also voted for Jeffries. He had criticized Johnson earlier that day on social media for his efforts to challenge the legitimate results of the 2020 election, and longtime opposition to abortion access and same-sex marriage.

"Mike Johnson is an extremist, cut from the same cloth as Donald Trump," Grijalva wrote. "He's unfit to be Speaker."

Rep. Paul Gosar — Mike Johnson

Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., voted for Johnson. He congratulated the speaker-elect after the vote, writing on social media: "We're ready to get to work and hit the ground running."

Rep. Debbie Lesko — Mike Johnson

Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., voted for Johnson as well.

Rep. David Schweikert — Mike Johnson

Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., also voted for Johnson. Schweikert had previously criticized the move to oust McCarthy.

Rep. Greg Stanton — Hakeem Jeffries

Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., voted for Jeffries. He blasted Johnson in a statement ahead of Wednesday's vote, highlighting Johnson's leading role in the effort to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election.

“After more than three weeks of paralysis and dysfunction, House Republicans have rejected bipartisanship and are instead attempting to install an extremist election denier as second in line to the presidency,” Stanton wrote.

Laura Gersony is a national politics reporter for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @lauragersony.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: House speaker elected: How Arizona representatives voted on Wednesday