.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) addresses questions about the pending vote to expel U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-NY) during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., November 29, 2023. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo
Fresh off of walking a tightrope to get a massive budget bill passed with reluctant Republicans on one side and Donald Trump on the other, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is once again stuck in the middle trying to make both parties happy.
At issue now is Trump’s desire for Republicans to redistrict multiple red states in order to gain more GOP seats in the House and Republican caucus members who could be out of a job if Democratic governors, including California’s Gavin Newsom, make good on threats to do the same for their own party.
In the middle sits Johnson, who needs to figure out a compromise that will keep both factions happy with his leadership.
The Washington Post reported, “Redistricting is only the latest headache for Johnson, who oversees a historically narrow House majority with boisterous personalities that have often stymied easy passage of key legislation. A larger majority could ensure a continuation of Johnson’s speakership for another two years and give him a wider margin for success. But the redistricting debate could make it harder for Johnson to pass legislation in the meantime.”
As Johnson aide Greg Steele put it, his boss has “relayed pertinent information between the White House and those Members in what remains a thoughtful, productive dialogue.”
One California Republican who could be redistricted out of his job is not feeling that confident.
“I really don’t like the idea that this is going to be some sort of redistricting war, or there’s going to be this domino effect where one state after another upends their district lines. That’s not the way things are supposed to work,” complained Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA).
Kiley is joined by a smattering of red-state Republican lawmakers who are also unnerved by the GOP leadership tempting fate.
“Texas Republican House members are frustrated that their seats in the new map, which is on the path to approval, will become more competitive and that they might have to fend off primary challengers in slightly less but still conservative districts. Some fear their seats could include more Democratic voters and become swingier,“ the Post is reporting.
Kiley added, “I have made it very clear to [Johnson], both publicly and privately, that I think he and the minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, need to show leadership here and get this situation under control and stop this chaos from cascading across the country.”
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