Some rank-and-file Republicans now face a dilemma as a result of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-Ga.) decision to force action on Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) ousting, as they must decide between voting to remove a party leader that former President Trump has endorsed and siding with Democrats to defend a figure that many conservatives detest.
Next week’s debate on Greene’s motion is unlikely to pass, as Democratic leaders have pledged to keep Johnson in power for the sake of chamber stability. However, the Georgia firebrand is pushing on, arguing that it is critical to get every House representative on record so that voters know exactly where everyone stands on Johnson’s leadership record.
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“Every member of Congress needs to take that vote,” she told reporters. “I’m eager to witness Democrats enthusiastically endorse a Republican Speaker, only to find themselves compelled to retreat for their primary. I’m also looking forward to seeing my Republican conference show off their cards and who we are.
“Are they willing to fight?” Or will they simply continue to get along?
Many Republicans share Greene’s dissatisfaction with Johnson’s proclivity for bipartisan deals, but they also wanted to avoid the motion-to-vacate vote. With that in mind, even some of Johnson’s staunchest GOP adversaries have attempted to defuse Greene’s effort in recent weeks, fearing that it could provoke an internal party conflict heading into November, when control of the House is up for grabs.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) said this week, “These tools exist for reasons, but we should deploy them sparingly.” “Right now, we’re six months out, ish, from the election, and we need to focus on that.”
But Greene and her army of two—RReps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.)—are pressing ahead with their goal to depose Johnson, a move that will place many on the right flank in a difficult position as they weigh two unappealing possibilities.
Hardliners are furious with Johnson for his willingness to strike deals with President Biden and Democrats on major legislation, such as the recent passage of bills to extend federal funding, reauthorize the United States’ warrantless surveillance powers, and ram through a foreign aid package that included approximately $61 billion for Ukraine.
However, few Republicans on Capitol Hill want to distance themselves from Trump, the GOP’s presumptive presidential nominee, who has gone out of his way to praise Johnson’s speakership performance—aa promotional campaign that appears to have grown even stronger since Greene filed her vacate motion last month.
“I stand with the Speaker,” Trump declared when he hosted Johnson at Mar-a-Lago last month. “He’s doing a really good job under very tough circumstances.”
Furthermore, some hardliners are apprehensive about throwing the House into disarray so soon after the November elections—a disorderly show that may bring the party down when voters go to the polls to pick control of the chamber next year.
Rep. Dan Bishop (R-North Carolina) said, “I don’t think there’s anything to gain by having a motion to vacate the chair at this point in time.”
Republicans who want to keep Johnson in power also face political consequences. The far right is outraged by his legislative record—a message Republicans hear every time they return to their districts—but they’ll also have to work with Democrats to keep the Speaker in power, fueling accusations that Republicans on Capitol Hill have abandoned their conservative roots to join the “Uniparty.”
“You get to have the choice if you’re a Republican,” Massie said Wednesday. “Will you accept Hakeem Jeffries, as Mike Johnson has? When you return next week, will you embrace the Uniparty, as Mike Johnson has? Or will you fight for the Americans who gave us the majority?
The promise by Democrats to cross the aisle to save Johnson represented a watershed moment in the Speakership drama that has nearly defined this Congress: an unusual case of the minority party committing to save an opposing leader from electoral catastrophe.
They’ve been harsh critics of Johnson’s conservative record on Capitol Hill, particularly on abortion and gay rights, which complicates the Democrats’ decision, and there’s still plenty of resentment over his role as the architect of the legal argument for the Republicans’ attempt to overturn the 2020 election results.
Democrats, however, are presenting their rescue mission not as a vote for Johnson but as a vote against Greene and the legislative deadlock that would ensue if she were successful, forcing Republicans to conduct another protracted and chaotic search for a suitable new Speaker. Those Democrats are concerned that another Speaker contest will stymie Congress’ capacity to enact upcoming legislation, such as the Farm Bill and the reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration.
“This has nothing to do with Speaker Johnson,” stated Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus.
However, their show of support gives the impression that Republicans are supporting a Speaker who receives support from Democrats, a remarkable dynamic that Greene and Massie are highlighting as they work to boost support for their motion to vacate.
During a news conference Wednesday morning, Greene and Massie showed two enormous photographs of Johnson and Jeffries, and the podium sported a new banner that read: “Hakeem Jeffries endorsed Mike Johnson, the Uniparty Speaker.”
“Now we have Hakeem Jeffries and the Democrats coming out, embracing Mike Johnson with a warm hug and a big, wet, sloppy kiss,” Greene went on to say. “They have endorsed him, and they are prepared to support him as Speaker; they want to keep it running and the band together. Why? Mike Johnson is providing them with what they desire.
The pressure on the upcoming motion-to-vacate vote is increasing as Greene attempts to link the decision to next year’s House majority. The firebrand said Wednesday that if Johnson continues in charge of the conference until November, Republicans will lose the majority in the House.
“We have to have a Republican majority in January, and under Mike Johnson’s leadership, we’re not going to have one,” Greene said in a statement. “Hakeem Jeffries is endorsing Mike Johnson because he knows his leadership will hand the House majority to the Democrats in January.”
