Critics and supporters alike portrayed Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) as a protégé of former President Donald Trump who would likely implement a staunchly conservative agenda.
“If you don’t think that moving from Kevin McCarthy to MAGA Mike Johnson shows the ascendance of this movement—and where the power of the Republican Party truly lies—then you’re not paying attention,” Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in early October, said in a televised interview.
President Trump himself backed Mr. Johnson’s bid for speaker and celebrated his election, calling him “MAGA MIKE JOHNSON!” in a social media post on Oct. 25.
“This has been about one thing,” Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) said earlier about the Republicans’ fumbling search for a speaker candidate. “This has been about who can appease Donald Trump.”
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) picked up the nickname in a speech on the Senate floor. “If Speaker Johnson lives up to the label that Congressman Gaetz has given him, MAGA Mike, he will fail as the previous speakers have.”
How Conservative Is Johnson?
In his first major interview after becoming speaker, Mr. Johnson ticked a number of conservative boxes.Regarding gun violence, he said: “It’s not guns, it’s not the weapons. At the end of the day, we have to protect the right of the citizens to protect themselves and that’s the Second Amendment. And that’s why our party stands so strongly for that.” Mr. Johnson added that the country needs to strengthen its approach to treating mental illness.
On President Joe Biden’s record, Mr. Johnson said, “I think it’s been a failed presidency and all the problems ... here were caused by policy choices, and that’s the problem I have with him.”
The new speaker is a pro-life, “Bible-believing Christian,” and he opposes gender transition treatment for minors.
Yet those positions don’t distinguish Mr. Johnson as that much more conservative than the Republican conference as a whole.
“[Mr. Johnson] is personally very conservative. But he’s also made quite clear that he intends to lead the collective House Republican Conference and that the moderates have felt very comfortable that they can work with him,” former Speaker Newt Gingrich told The Epoch Times.
“By the standards of traditional American politics, the House Republicans are overwhelmingly conservative.”
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, scores the voting records of all members of Congress according to their adherence to conservative principles. The average House Republican score is 89 percent. Mr. Johnson’s lifetime score is 90 percent, hardly a significant difference.
For comparison, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), who represents a moderate district in upstate New York, scored 84 percent. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), who voted to oust the former speaker, scored 82 percent. The average House Democrat rated just 2 percent.
Swing district Republicans, who might have reason to be wary of a hardline leader, spoke well of Mr. Johnson upon his election. “He’s a humble man, has earned my trust, and will listen to the voices of those I represent in upstate N.Y.,” Rep. Mark Molinaro (R-N.Y.) wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Speaker Mike Johnson is hardworking and smart, and I am confident that despite any differences we may have on policy, he is fully capable of unifying our conference and leading the House forward,” Mr. Lawler said in an Oct. 25 statement.
Although some have cast Mr. Johnson’s election as a win for the so-called far right, it may actually prove to be a win for the more pragmatic elements of the conference.
“Any claims from the chaos eight [who voted to oust Mr. McCarthy] that they got everything they wanted is pretty easily disproven by the fact that our least conservative members in the conference were comfortable with Mike Johnson as well,” Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) told The Epoch Times. The South Dakota congressman chairs the Main Street Caucus, a business-oriented group.
Governing Style
Republicans sometimes labeled “hardliners” are those who tend to be more insistent on their positions, less patient, and less willing to accept compromises—they are also suspicious of the way the House usually operates.Other Republicans, sometimes pejoratively tagged “RINOs” (“Republicans in name only”), generally take a more practical view of governing. They’re willing to settle for smaller victories, which they believe will add up over time.
To those suspicious of the way Washington usually operates, Mr. Johnson is seen as a welcome change. “The K Street lobbyists ... this is not their candidate. This is the people’s candidate. He’s not the one that they wanted, but he’s the one that America needs,” Mr. Burchett said.
Yet Republicans who are sometimes criticized as being part of “the swamp” supported the new speaker also, including former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who referred to him as a “principled conservative who can get the job done.”
“Mike is a strong leader who has the full support of our entire Conference,” Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) said in a statement. “He is a great man and will make a great speaker.”
In his acceptance speech, Mr. Johnson outlined his government philosophy, which spoke directly to the matter of compromise.
“Our people are losing their faith in government. ... I think we have to be mindful of that,” he said. “We’re going to fight vigorously over our core principles because they’re at odds a lot of times now in this modern era. We have to sacrifice sometimes our preferences because that’s what’s necessary in a legislative body.”
In any case, House speakers are almost always pragmatic decision-makers.
“Speakers are not in the habit of putting bills on the floor that will fail,” Mr. Dusty Johnson told The Epoch Times. “I think this allegation that there'll be a number of votes on the floor that divide the Republican conference because they are too conservative isn’t really based in history.”
Speaking of hardliners who take an all-or-nothing approach to governing, Mr. Gingrich said, “I think some of these guys don’t understand the concept of being effective.” Mr. Johnson’s voting record seems to indicate that he does.
Mr. Johnson voted in favor of the agriculture appropriations bill, which was defeated when 27 Republicans voted against it. He voted in favor of a stop-gap funding bill that included spending cuts and increased border security but was defeated by 21 Republicans. He voted for Mr. McCarthy 15 times in the January speaker’s race and voted against his ouster in October.
Although Mr. Johnson has strong convictions, he seems to acknowledge the need to choose one’s battles and occasionally compromise.
Regarding a national abortion ban, he said on Oct. 26 that there is “no national consensus for the people on what to do with that issue on a federal level for certain.”
On the topic of same-sex marriage, Mr. Johnson said, “I respect the rule of law and also genuinely love all people, regardless of their lifestyle choices.”
Test Cases
Given that the new speaker has held the job for less than a week, his ability to hold the various elements of the Republican conference together has not yet been tested. The first challenge may be his handling of President Biden’s request for some $105 billion in supplemental funding for Israel, Ukraine, allies in the Indo-Pacific region, and border security.
“Can he hold tough and force them to take an Israel bill first, and then come back and do the other two?” Mr. Gingrich said. “These should be three different bills ... and each should be subjected to a different standard.”
With government funding set to run out on Nov. 17, completing the appropriations process will be another challenge to his leadership. The speaker has said he intends to pass the remaining spending bills through the House and then negotiate with the Senate from “a position of strength.”
However, he left open the possibility that a second stop-gap funding bill may be needed. The first such bill led to the ouster of Mr. McCarthy.
“I think some of the most colorful conservatives in our conference have indicated that they will provide Speaker Johnson quite a little bit more flexibility than was given to Speaker McCarthy,” Mr. Dusty Johnson said. “Mike Johnson is going to have a real opportunity to bring this team together and get some conservative wins.”
At some point, that unity will be tested, maybe by the question of additional aid for Ukraine, which some House Republicans are skeptical of.
“To get a Ukrainian aid bill through, they’re going to have to have Democratic votes,” Mr. Gingrich said. “How does the right react at that point? ... Do they operate as a party, or do they fragment again? I don’t think we know.”
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