The House of Representatives elected a new speaker of the House, Republican Mike Johnson of Louisiana, on Wednesday.
The election came after three weeks of vacancy in the House following Kevin McCarthy’s removal on Oct. 3.
Elected to Congress in 2016, Johnson holds staunchly conservative views on policies such as abortion, LGBTQ issues and social security.
In response to his election, Nikki Budzinski, representative for the 13th District of Illinois, released a statement in which she expressed her concern with Johnson’s election.
“Unfortunately, their selection has spent his time in Congress attacking our democracy and pushing to undermine Social Security, Medicare, reproductive rights and the LGBTQ+ community,” Budzinski said in the statement.
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Robin Kelly, representative for the 2nd District of Illinois, also released a statement expressing her disappointment with the situation.
“Rep. Mike Johnson wants to criminalize abortion, gut Social Security and Medicare, and was a chief architect of the attempt to subvert our democracy in 2020,” Kelly said in her statement.
However, both representatives ended their statements by reaffirming their commitment to working with Johnson in the spirit of compromise.
“I’ve pledged to work with anyone — Democrat or Republican — to get things done for my constituents in Central and Southern Illinois and I remain fully committed to bipartisanship,” Budzinski said in the statement.
Similarly, Kelly noted her dedication to working strongly.
“I am committed to solving our nation’s greatest challenges, and I hope that Rep. Johnson will abandon extremism and work with Democrats to deliver real solutions for the American people,” Kelly said in the statement.
