Republican knives are out for Speaker Mike Johnson amid MAGA civil war… as new candidates emerge

Speaker Mike Johnson’s path to stay in power is in jeopardy after several Republicans say they will not support him as leader.

Earlier this month, the Republican leader faced heavy criticism from party heavyweights such as newly elected President Donald Trump and Elon Musk for trying to push through a controversial spending bill to avoid a government shutdown.

During the process, Musk, along with many other Republicans, has scrutinized Johnson’s initial 1,547-page bill, calling it bloated and full of Democratic priorities.

That put Johnson on shaky ground with Trump, who called it that a “victory” for Democrats and urged the Republican Party to remain steadfast in the face of a fast-approaching government shutdown.

The speaker was forced to renegotiate the deal at the last minute, sparking anger on both the left and right.

A vastly reduced version of the bill eventually passed the House of Representatives, but Republicans are now unsure that Johnson will be the man to lead them next year.

And he may only survive the vote as speaker if Trump publicly supports him and gets MAGA lawmakers on board.

New speaker candidates, including non-traditional options such as Musk or Vivek Ramaswamy, are also being floated as potential replacements for Johnson.

The speaker can only lose one Republican vote to retain his leadership position – which seems increasingly unlikely.

Before Christmas, Trump teased that he favors Johnson remaining chairman.

He wrote on Truth Social that Johnson could “easily remain speaker” if he were to throw out the “Democratic traps” in the bill, which he did.

But Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., told DailyMail.com that he is firmly against voting for Johnson to retain the gavel.

He explained that he opposes Johnson because the leader continues to table emergency bills instead of passing the normally required annual appropriations bills.

‘That [1,547] Page Bill was a product of the swamp that Uniparty Johnson happily facilitated,” Massie said in a recent X post. “He couldn’t understand why we hadn’t eaten it.”

While walking the halls of the Capitol with DailyMail.com before the Christmas recess, the Kentucky Republican revealed that at least three Republican members of the House of Representatives had come up to him “grumbling about Johnson.”

While he didn’t name any specific Republican members, he indicated there are more than enough unhappy Republicans to thwart Johnson’s bid for speaker in early January.

Next Congress, the Republicans will have a minuscule majority of three seats, meaning that Johnson can only lose one vote in addition to Massie’s ‘no’.

And more than one Republican in the House of Representatives has expressed distaste for Johnson.

When asked by reporters whether Johnson’s leadership is in question, Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., one of eight Republican House members who voted to impeach ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, confirmed that it was is.

“It’s like that every day,” he responded, noting that the Republican advantage in the next Congress will be smaller, and therefore Johnson’s chances of retaining power will be slimmer.

“I mean, we only have three people in charge,” he reasoned. “But ultimately, and let’s face it, a big part of that will be Trump’s doing.”

Burchett said that if Trump backs Johnson at the time, the speaker has a good chance of retaining his position of power.

Asked whether he would commit to supporting Johnson, Burchett said: “I will make that decision in January.”

During the government funding debacle, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., also expressed her frustration with the speaker to reporters.

She said there was “zero communication from leadership to members” about the ever-changing process.

“Something should change before January 3,” she said, referring to voting day as speaker.

Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md. and Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., have also not committed to supporting Johnson.

And Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., has issued a list of demands for Johnson that she says he must “publicly” recall before she commits to voting for him.

This includes the establishment of ‘at least temporary structures in the House for: 1) authorizations; 2) reconciliation compensation policies, and 3) expenditure audits.”

On the other side of Congress, the speaker receives similar treatment.

“Speaker Mike Johnson is a friend, but he lost control of the House of Representatives,” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said in a recent interview. “He can’t stay in power.”

“Elon Musk or Vivek Ramaswamy should be the speaker,” Lee continued.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., offered a similar assessment, posting on X that the Speaker of the House of Representatives does not have to be a lawmaker.

“Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk. . . think about it. . . nothing is impossible,” he says, adding that it would be “joy” to see the “collective establishment lose its ever-loving spirit.”

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who threatened to oust Jonson earlier this year over a similar battle over state funding, said she supports Paul’s proposal.

If Massie, MTG, Malliotakis and Burchett come out against Johnson on the January 3 ballot, it would effectively destroy his chances for re-election.

While none of the lawmakers have offered an alternative to Johnson, he may still have what it takes to win the speakership again.

Other Republicans, meanwhile, have expressed support for the speaker.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called Johnson “the most conservative speaker of the House we’ve seen in our lifetimes” in a recent post on X.

Support for the speaker also comes from many in the House.

“People who don’t support Mike Johnson on Jan. 3 are only weakening the Republican Conference and strengthening Hakeem Jeffries,” Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., told the Washington Reporter.