Mike Johnson facing 'nonsensical food fight' as lawmakers gear up for chaotic House speaker battle

This Friday, January 3, 2025, a new Congress will be seated in the United States. And the first order of business in the U.S. House of Representatives — where Republicans held their small single-digit majority in the 2024 election — will be choosing a speaker.

In the U.S. Senate, which the GOP flipped in November, Republicans have already decided on a majority leader: Sen. John Thune (R-South Dakota). But in the House, it remains to be seen whether lawmakers will keep Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) as speaker or vote for someone else.

Axios' Andrew Solender, in an article published on December 30, emphasizes that if the search for a speaker is as chaotic as January 2023, Johnson could be in for a lot of frustration.

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After Republicans narrowly flipped the House in the 2022 midterms, then-Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-California) faced an uphill climb after a new Republican House majority was seated on January 3, 2023. McCarthy was rejected as speaker in 14 votes, but on the 15th vote, he was finally confirmed — only to be ousted from that position in October 2023 after far-right Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) triggered a "motion to vacate."

Some of the House Republicans interviewed by Axios remained noncommittal on the upcoming speaker vote.

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris (R-Maryland), Solender notes, recently told Fox News, "We're working with the speaker's office to change the way things are done.... We'll see if those commitments can be made. If they can't…. (January 3) will be a long day."

Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pennsylvania) told Fox Business he plans to "keep his options open."

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But Solender points out that Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) is the "one House Republican" who has "straightforwardly" said "that he plans to vote for an alternative to Johnson." And moderate conservative Rep. Mike Lawler (R-New York) told ABC News that he hopes far-right members of his party will not "waste time over a nonsensical intramural food fight."

Lawler recently told ABC News, "The fact is that these folks are playing with fire. And if they think they're somehow going to get a more conservative speaker, they're kidding themselves."

On December 30, Trump endorsed Johnson for speaker. But a House Republican, interviewed on condition of anonymity, told Axios that even with Trump's support, he predicts that "two or three" House Republicans "will still hold out for a bit" — although Johnson "will make it through" in the end and be confirmed as speaker.

Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) told Axios, "Trump's endorsement is significant and may save Johnson

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Read Andrew Solender's reporting for Axios at this link and here.