Meet the House clerk wielding the gavel until speaker chosen

By MEG KINNARD
Associated Press

The extended drama over picking the next House speaker has put the normally understated position of House clerk in the spotlight. Cheryl Johnson, the 36th person to serve as clerk, is the first Black woman to preside over the chamber. Round by round, she called for the start of each vote and announced at the end that, once again, no speaker had been elected. That is, until early Saturday morning, when she named Rep. Kevin McCarthy the victor after the 15th vote. Her rising stature was best illustrated by a flub on the second day of voting, when a Republican standing up to speak inadvertently addressed her as “Madam speaker.”