Revolt against Johnson opens up fresh talk over House GOP leadership’s future

Speaker Mike Johnson’s weakened position inside the House GOP conference has sparked delicate internal discussions about who could potentially replace him if he can’t hang on to the job – whether it’s in this Congress or the next one, according to interviews with over a dozen Republican lawmakers and aides.

Speaker Mike Johnson’s weakened position inside the House GOP conference has sparked delicate internal discussions about who could potentially replace him if he can’t hang on to the job – whether it’s in this Congress or the next one, according to interviews with over a dozen Republican lawmakers and aides. While no one is looking to challenge the Louisiana Republican outright and few are even interested in taking the reins of the chaotic and razor-thin majority, there’s a widespread belief that there could be another leadership shakeup in the future – and some Republicans are quietly positioning themselves for such a scenario. Among the GOP lawmakers whose moves are being watched closely: House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, who unsuccessfully ran for the speakership in October. Emmer, the No. 3 Republican, has taken steps to not only repair his relationship with Donald Trump – who helped to quickly derail his speakership bid last year – but also to work behind the scenes to win over House Republicans once skeptical of the Minnesota Republican, sources said. That includes voting last week for a House Freedom Caucus-backed amendment to a foreign surveillance law. Emmer was the only member of GOP leadership to support the provision, which ultimately failed. And Emmer also traveled to Pennsylvania over the weekend to attend a roundtable and reception with Trump ahead of his rally in the state, multiple sources told CNN. “Tom was very well praised by the president. … He was very pleased to see the whip there,” Rep. Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania, who was also in attendance, told CNN. “A lot of people were happy to see the whip there.” Asked about Trump burying the hatchet with Emmer and recently endorsing him, Meuser said: “I handed it to Trump for doing that.”