Mike Johnson now stuck with 'the worst job in Washington': Politico

Republicans in the House of Representatives were in a celebratory mood on Wednesday when they finally elected Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) as speaker.

However, Politico's Playbook reports that Johnson's honeymoon could be very short lived given that he has inherited what the publication describes as "the worst job in Washington."

Playbook says that Johnson is likely to face a big early test when it comes to deciding the fate of Rep. George Santos (R-NY), the scandal-plagued lawmaker who is staring down an expulsion resolution being pushed by his fellow New York Republicans who fear he could drag down their own electoral hopes next year.

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While giving Santos the boot might sound like a political no-brainer, the House Republican majority is already so small that Johnson might not want to put a seat at risk.

"That means Johnson could become the bearer of bad news and end up expending political capital early to try to save a man most of them loathe," the publication writes. "While the threshold for expulsion is high (you need two-thirds of Congress to agree to it), even allowing such a vote will put Republicans in an awkward position of either voting to expel him or potentially imperiling their governing majority by saving Santos — which will, of course, open them up to attacks from Democrats come 2024."

Playbook also notes that Johnson's right-wing views, including his attacks on gay Americans as "inherently unnatural," will come under a more intense spotlight now that he's gone from being a backbencher to the most powerful Republican in Washington.

This, in turn, will help Democrats make Johnson into "a base-motivating, money-raising boogeyman who embodies everything they dislike most about the other party," writes Playbook.