House of Representatives Elects Former Alliance Defending Freedom Spokesperson as Speaker

Rep. Mike Johnson, a figure from the far-right legal movement, poses extreme threat to democracy

Washington, D.C. — Today, Representative Mike Johnson (R-LA) was elected as Speaker of the House of Representatives. Rep. Johnson previously served as senior spokesperson for Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) – a mainstay in the far-right, anti-democratic legal movement that has used the courts to fervently dismantle democracy, women’s rights,  LGBTQ+ rights, and more. Following the 2020 election, Rep. Johnson led a legal effort in support of a Texas lawsuit seeking to invalidate electoral college votes from key swing states.

In response, Democracy Forward President & CEO Skye Perryman issued the following statement: 

“As a lawyer and member of the House of Representatives, Rep. Johnson has demonstrated a long, undeniable history of misusing the law to perpetuate an extremist agenda that is contrary to our nation’s values and threatens the promise of democracy for all people. He masterminded efforts to invalidate the people’s choice for President in 2020 and used the courts to seed the distrust that would erupt into an insurrection just days later. His election to Speaker flies in the face of the majority of Americans who believe in the promise of democracy, and further aligns the House of Representatives—the branch of government designed to represent the will of the people—with an extremist ideological movement seeking to wield power to roll-back our rights at every opportunity. 

Johnson’s election also vividly demonstrates how much influence the far-right legal movement–a movement that has sought to deny voting rights, civil rights, and basic facts and evidence–has amassed in every corner of our government, and why we must do all we can to confront and disrupt it. Democracy Forward was founded to counter anti-democratic extremism and the extreme legal movement that now seeks to wield control over the House of Representatives. We will continue to work alongside the majority of Americans to advance democracy and oppose harmful extremism in all forms.”  

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