'Traps' ahead for Mike Johnson as he seeks House Speaker re-election: Politico



Current House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) appears to have a clear path to his retaining his seat as the leader of the Republican Party majority House for now, but Politico reports there are pitfalls facing him with such a slim majority.

As the report notes, major opposition to Johnson has melted away after he allied himself more closely with Donald Trump who subsequently offered his approval.

Politico's Jordain Carney and Olivia Beavers are reporting, "... his [Johnson's] improved fortunes are attributable to three main factors, all things he’s played an active role in: Bringing his defectors into the fold and hearing them out, punting a huge funding fight into early next year and securing President-elect Donald Trump’s endorsement."

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It only takes one renegade Republican House member to derail his re-election with Politico reporting Democrats will not be coming to his aid this time where "he has almost no room for error in January."

Getting to January is another matter.

There are still some traps remaining that Johnson will need to avoid. Conservatives are still watching closely to see how Johnson handles a Dec. 20 government funding deadline, including the details of any disaster aid money," the report states before adding, "If Johnson had agreed to a mammoth end-of-year spending bill, known as an omnibus, it could have sparked conservative ire at the worst time for the speaker. T"

The report also notes that there is no appetite among his colleagues to run as an alternative candidate.

According to Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), "Who are you going to get? Who wants it?”

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