Mike Johnson’s Speaker Job: A Stroke of Luck Backed by Genuine Talent
Mike Johnson of Louisiana, the new House speaker, has achieved the seemingly impossible: He successfully navigated the bad blood, ego-driven personalities, and ideological divisions among House Republicans and won a unanimous vote from his conference.
The surprising unity even caught Donald Trump off guard. On Monday, Trump stated, “There’s only one person” who could unite the party: Jesus Christ. “If Jesus came down and said, ‘I want to be speaker,’ he would do it. Other than that, I haven’t seen anybody that can guarantee it.”
The House Republican tent is famously divided into Five Families: the Tea Party-influenced House Freedom Caucus, the conservative Republican Study Committee, business-oriented Chamber of Commerce types, the moderate Republican Governance Group, and the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus.
So how did Johnson manage to temporarily unite them and secure his election?
As a member of the Freedom Caucus and former chair of the Republican Study Committee, Johnson solidified his support from the right flank.
His position as House Republican Conference vice chairman enabled him to build personal relationships with many moderate members, who appreciated his low-key style and willingness to listen. Additionally, he has demonstrated expertise in the details of legislation, impressing members knowledgeable in tax, budget, and defense issues.
MAGA members also noted that Johnson served on Donald Trump’s defense team during the former president’s first impeachment trial in 2020.
New York House Republicans, several of whom blocked Jim Jordan’s speaker bid, all voted for Johnson to facilitate a return to work.
Representative John Moolenaar, a Michigan Republican, told Newsmax, “Johnson works well with all segments of our conference. I never heard a bad word about him.”
Other members described him as a “Happy Warrior,” reminiscent of the late Jack Kemp, who could disagree with someone without being disagreeable.
Furthermore, Johnson possesses formidable communication skills. As a constitutional lawyer for the Alliance Defending Freedom, he has extensive experience arguing cases in federal court. He also has a background as a college professor and conservative talk-show host.
Gary Palmer, an Alabama member who ran against Johnson for the speakership, said Johnson’s Tuesday night speech asking for votes “was one of the finest I have ever heard in politics,” sparking his instant enthusiasm to support him.
With such a remarkable victory, Johnson will immediately face the challenges of the House. He must collaborate with Democrats, the White House, and fellow Republicans to prevent a government funding shutdown looming on November 18. Punchbowl News describes it as “advancing straight from tee-ball to the majors.”
Palmer is pleased that Johnson embraced the same five commonsense principles for budget process reform that he advocated during his campaign for speaker:
1. Fund the government on time with all single subject appropriations bills passing the House by June 30 — or no recess until it’s done.
2. Implement real spending cuts, not budget gimmicks.
3. Avoid short-term, stop-gap funding of the government.
4. Enforce a true 72-hour rule allowing members and voters time to review legislation.
5. Ensure power is decentralized enough that nearly all members feel they have a stake in bills passing on the House floor.
These are ambitious goals, and if Johnson falls short, he could lose his position in one of two ways over the next year: either Democrats regain control or Republicans remove him from office, as they did with Kevin McCarthy.
However, both friends and skeptics of Johnson have expressed confidence in his abilities. In politics, success often stems from a combination of talent and luck. As the late Rep. Edward Pattison of New York once said, “Never let anyone know which one of those roads you took to where you are now.”
The truth is that most successful politicians possess both talent and luck. Speaker Mike Johnson is no exception. Less than nine years ago, he was a simple lawyer in Shreveport, Louisiana, when his local state legislator resigned to become a judge.
Johnson seized the opportunity and filed for the seat, winning the election uncontested. When his local congressman vacated his seat in 2016, Johnson was well-positioned to run and ultimately secured 65% of the vote, surpassing Donald Trump’s performance by four points. By staying out of the speaker battle until the right moment, Johnson’s low-key, Happy Warrior approach proved to be exactly what desperate members were seeking.
At 51, Mike Johnson is the youngest House speaker since Paul Ryan, and he has proven to possess both talent and luck.
John Fund is a National Review columnist and a fellow at The Committee To Unleash Prosperity.
