Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has issued praise for the House of Representative’s new speaker, adding he believes Rep. Mike Johnson of Lousiana will unify the House through his principles.

The House elected Johnson on Wednesday, ending Congress’s search for a new speaker that lasted for over three weeks. In reacting to Johnson’s election to the position, Gingrich praised the Louisiana conservative for being “a very solid person” who is “deeply religious” and has “a great family.”

“And I think that we’re going to discover that what he combines, which is really very important, is a solid conservative set of principles with a very moderate and reasonable approach to people so that he can actually unify people across ideological boundaries,” Gingrich said.

The former House speaker added that he is looking forward to what Johnson does in his new position, noting that Johnson has said he intends to “decentralize” to make sure all House members have an active role in Congress. He also described Johnson as someone who views himself as a “coordinator,” rather than a person dominating the House.

Gingrich said he believes Johnson will focus on the “human elements” in his role as House speaker, which includes bringing down the cost of living, inflation, and food and gas prices. He also said the Republican budget committee members have a 10-year road map that can be used to bring “a balanced budget” in the next decade.

“And I think if the new speaker will work with that committee, he can create a framework within which the country will become much healthier, very, very rapidly,” Gingrich said.

The House voted 220 to 209 to elect Johnson to the role of speaker, beating House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York. Johnson’s election to the position comes after the previous House speaker, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was voted out from his role for the first time in history on Oct. 3.

President Joe Biden welcomed Johnson as the new speaker, telling press on Wednesday that “we have to get moving.”