Speaker of the House Mike Johnson may not be in the clear yet despite getting a reelection endorsement from Donald Trump, with several House Republicans saying they still haven’t decided if they’ll support him.
Since Johnson mishandled a government shutdown fight two weeks ago, he’s had to gain back the trust of several members of his own party. Johnson will have a 219-215 majority for the Speaker’s election, meaning he can only lose one vote to keep his job. While he has the support of all House Republican leadership, there are still some Republican members who say Johnson will need to do more to earn their votes.
After Trump’s endorsement of Johnson Monday morning, the Daily Caller reached out to nearly a dozen House Republicans who had previously been undecided on Johnson’s future.
Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs’ office told the Caller that he is “not committing yet.” Texas Rep. Michael Cloud’s office said he had no comment at this time, and Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert’s office gave the same answer. Meanwhile, Indiana Rep. Victoria Spartz issued a statement, saying although Trump’s endorsement is important, she still needs “assurances” that Johnson will not “sell us out to the swamp.”
“President Trump will be able to save America only if we have 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,” Spartz added.
Spartz has claimed Johnson often doesn’t even talk to Republicans during legislative negotiations and has questioned his leadership. She recently made headlines for saying she will not participate in the House Republican Conference or be a part of its committees.
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.
Donald Trump endorses Paul Ryan, John McCain https://t.co/Xa0tcTKpWk
— Rep. Victoria Spartz (@RepSpartz) December 30, 2024
Razor tight margins for Speaker Johnson on January 3rd
Massie is already a no
Spartz is making demands this am
A dozen or so still publicly undecided pic.twitter.com/0f3dhPFg2s— haleytalbotcnn (@haleytalbotcnn) December 30, 2024
Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett, Missouri Rep. Eric Burlison, Arizona Rep. Eli Crane, Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles, Florida Rep. Greg Steube, Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde and Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry are among the other Republicans still on the fence about Johnson.
Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie publicly said Dec. 18 that he would oppose Johnson’s bid to remain Speaker and would vote for another candidate. He doubled down on the decision even after Trump’s endorsement.
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. pic.twitter.com/6Y7GAkcBzJ
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) December 30, 2024
If just one more House Republican joins Massie and votes against Johnson, he will not get the gavel.
