Several House Republicans are holding out support for Mike Johnson ahead of the House speaker’s race later this week, even after President-elect Donald Trump backed his bid.
Why It Matters
A widespread GOP revolt isn’t needed to block Johnson from remaining as speaker. Republicans’ razor-thin majority in the House leaves him room for only a single deflection, and one Republican has already said he’s a hard no on the Louisiana Republican.
This means he needs the support of every other Republican member of Congress.
Republicans are expected to hold 219 seats when Congress reconvenes on Friday, with one vacancy in the seat held by former Representative Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican who won reelection but resigned from office when nominated to be Trump’s attorney general. By Friday, 434 sitting members are expected in the chamber, meaning Johnson will need 218 votes to receive majority support.
If he is unable to win over his critics and reach a deal, there could be another dayslong vote-a-rama like the one in January 2023, when former Speaker Kevin McCarthy struggled to win over detractors facing similarly difficult math. This could result in a more conservative speaker who would win the support of Johnson’s right-wing critics.
House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks during a news conference on March 20. Several House Republicans have said they’re undecided about whether they’ll vote for him on Friday to retain his position in the next Congress.
House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks during a news conference on March 20. Several House Republicans have said they’re undecided about whether they’ll vote for him on Friday to retain his position in the next Congress.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
What To Know
Johnson drew the ire of some fiscal conservatives earlier in December during a legislative battle to pass a continuing resolution to temporarily fund the government. Critics such as Elon Musk argued that the initial bill proposed by Johnson contained too much spending, resulting in the measure failing.
Conservative anger over the bill could spill over into the speaker’s race, as several House Republicans have said they will not support Johnson or are undecided.
On Monday, Trump gave Johnson a potential lift in a Truth Social post, saying the speaker has his endorsement, but it’s unclear whether that will be enough to sway his detractors.
Here is an overview of those Republicans who haven’t committed to backing Johnson.
Representative Thomas Massie (Kentucky)
Massie has been one of the most vocal opponents of Johnson, saying earlier in December he would not vote for him. He doubled down Monday on his criticism after Trump’s endorsement in a post to X (formerly Twitter).
“I respect and support President Trump, but his endorsement of Mike Johnson is going to work out about as well as his endorsement of Speaker Paul Ryan. We’ve seen Johnson partner with the democrats to send money to Ukraine, authorize spying on Americans, and blow the budget,” Massie wrote.
Representative Chip Roy (Texas)
Roy is another Republican who rebuked Johnson’s initial spending bill while also breaking with Trump over his support for eliminating the debt ceiling in a second spending bill that also failed to pass the House.
On Tuesday, Roy said on Fox Business’ Varney & Co. that he is undecided on how he will vote, casting doubt that Johnson has support from enough Republicans.
“The failure before Christmas is a glimpse to come if we don’t organize the conference to be able to deliver for the American people. We are not going to be able to bend on the things that matter,” Roy said.
Representative Victoria Spartz (Indiana)
Spartz wrote on X that she still has concerns about Johnson after Trump’s endorsement on Monday.
“I understand why President Trump is endorsing Speaker Johnson as he did Speaker Ryan, which is definitely important. However, we still need to get assurances that @SpeakerJohnson won’t sell us out to the swamp,” she wrote.
Spartz also said Trump will need a speaker with “courage, vision and a plan – also public commitment to the American people how he will help deliver President Trump’s agenda to drain the swamp.”
Representative Andy Harris (Maryland)
Harris, chair of the House Freedom Caucus, declined to commit to supporting Johnson during a Monday interview on Newsmax. He said the speaker “has to make some changes in the procedure and how we are dealing with things in the House” to win his support.
“We can’t have a repeat of what happened two weeks ago when we spent over $110 billion without paying for it,” Harris said. “When, you know, President Trump supported that bill and still 34 Republicans voted against it. So the process doesn’t work that he’s using now. He’s got to change it or we might need new leadership.”
Massie is the only definite vote against Johnson, he said.
Representative Andy Biggs (Arizona)
A spokesperson for Biggs told Axios that the Arizona Republican has “not made any public or private commitments on Speaker Johnson.”
What People Are Saying
Donald Trump on Truth Social: “Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hard working, religious man. He will do the right thing, and we will continue to WIN. Mike has my Complete & Total Endorsement.”
Matt Gaetz on X: “Trump endorsing Johnson is “art of the deal” level practicality. We could never have held up McCarthy two years ago for concessions if a Trump certification hung in the balance. Now, it does. We were able to hold up McCarthy because Republican voters weren’t all that eager to see us getting back to being Biden’s b**ch (which Kevin ultimately did anyway). The resistance to @SpeakerJohnson is now futile.”
Representative Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat who is the House minority leader, said on MSNBC: “There will be no Democrats available to save him or the extreme MAGA Republicans from themselves based on the breaching of a bipartisan agreement that reflected priorities that were good for the American people.”
What Happens Next
The House will vote on the next speaker on Friday, when the new Congress convenes.
Full List of Republicans Holding Out Support for Mike Johnson for Speaker
