After nearly three weeks, House Republicans seem to have finally found a satisfactory replacement for Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as Speaker of the House in the form of Representative Mike Johnson (R-LA). In an appearance on Fox Business's Evening Edit, Representative Greg Steube (R-FL) said Rep. Johnson was "well-liked within the conference" and is someone "the whole conference could rally behind."
Rep. Steube reiterated his support for Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH), who ultimately withdrew his candidacy when it was clear he would not reach 217 votes. However, a new vote had occurred, and Rep. Johnson "put his name back in the hat."
"He was the number two to [Representative Tom] Emmer (R-MN). Mike is much more conservative and has a more conservative record," explained Rep. Steube, saying he was likely to gain the support of the Republican Party's right wing.
Host Elizabeth MacDonald pointed out a recent Suffolk poll reported by USA Today showing 67% of voters want a Speaker back in the House as soon as possible, what with a government shutdown looming and crises abroad requiring attention.
While Steube understood the sentiment, he responded "You do not want to just pick somebody to put in the chair either. We want a conservative to run the House to stop this reckless government spending, to be a stopgap against Joe Biden and Chuck Schumer in the Senate. A year from now, when the election is, people will not remember the fact that we spent two and a half weeks trying to decide who was going to be the replacement for Kevin McCarthy."
This remark contrasts starkly with his own earlier prediction that the Speaker battle could cost Republicans in 2024 when he spoke of receiving angry calls asking why Republicans could not unite around a candidate.
However, with Rep. Johnson having the advantage, Steube's prediction could very well be accurate.
"I do not know of a single member in our conference that has anything bad to say about Mike Johnson. He is well-liked within the conference. He is a conservative by credentials and his vote, he has been in leadership the last couple of years. So it is certainly somebody that I think the whole conference could rally behind," Steube concluded.
