After winning its largest electoral mandate in two decades, some Republicans are looking to force big changes going forward. According to a new report, things could get interesting next Wednesday when the House GOP caucus meets to nominate the next Speaker. While Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) is a heavy favorite to retain the role, some Republicans are looking to present an “alternative.”
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From The Hill:
Hard-line conservatives are plotting to challenge Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for the gavel during Wednesday’s internal House GOP elections, four sources familiar with the matter told The Hill.
The sources — who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive internal deliberations — said the conservatives are planning to nominate an alternative candidate to Johnson for Speaker during Wednesday’s internal GOP elections.
Given that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Rep. Thomas Massie were behind the last attempt to boot Johnson, they may be involved in this one as well. Does this actually mean anything tangible, though?
I tend to think this is more smoke than fire. It costs these conservatives nor the party anything to have an alternative put forward during the internal nominating process. There is no reason to believe Johnson won’t easily have the votes to move forward in that scenario, making any challenge of him a short-lived symbolic move.
What I do not see happening is this spilling out onto the floor in a nasty, prolonged fashion as it did before the 2022 election. I think almost all members of the GOP caucus will have no stomach for going to war with each other in the aftermath of a sweeping election victory that has handed them the power to finally get things done. The mandate is real, and the desire to protect it will be strong.
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Lastly, I don’t think Donald Trump will play along with anything that stands in the way of his agenda, and that includes a knock-down, drag-out fight over the Speakership. Despite his questionable standing with some conservatives, there’s no question Johnson is an ally of the incoming president and will likely continue to enjoy his support. That alone likely ensures he remains in his position.
With that said, conservative angst over the House caving on some issues, including spending measures is not unjustified. But when Republicans didn’t hold the White House or Senate, there were limits to what could be done. Perhaps some kind of unified strategy to move the ball forward can be agreed upon given the dynamics have changed. With all three branches in their corner, Republicans finally have the ability to get things done.
