House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is widely expected to survive Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's planned motion to vacate next week, when some Democrats are predicted to pitch in and save him, but that may be merely a Pyrrhic victory, cautions Charles R. Davis.
Why? According to the Salon writer's Wednesday column, Johnson's career could be effectively over.
"Johnson has claimed support from former President Donald Trump, publicly dismissing Greene, an ally of deposed Speaker Kevin McCarthy, as fundamentally unserious," Davies writes. "But as CBS News noted, three votes from disgruntled Republicans would be enough to throw the House of Representatives into turmoil."
Davis also cites a new Washington Post report that found most Republicans have believed Johnson's days are numbered since the vote on assistance for Ukraine.
"People have ruled [Johnson] out for any leadership position in the next Congress," one senior Republican aide told the Post.
Davies also notes Johnson's Ukraine vote did not sit well with one particularly powerful Republican.
"Trump has bristled at long-term support for the victim of Russian aggression," writes Davies.
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While Republicans remain confident Democrats such as Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will spare them an ugly battle to oust Johnson, Davies argues a larger problem remains.
"The party remains concerned about the damage Greene could to do," he wrote. "Greene isn't winning many converts to her cause...but that doesn't mean she isn't making life difficult for the GOP caucus and its tenuous grip on power."
