Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie held a press conference last week to discuss their bid to remove Speaker Mike Johnson from his position. Despite their efforts, the motion to vacate Johnson’s position failed in the House by a margin of 359-43. However, 11 House Republicans voted to allow a debate on the matter, most of whom were Democrats who opposed Johnson’s politics.
Although Greene’s move was unexpected and somewhat surprising, only two other Republicans officially cosponsored her resolution – Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Paul Gosar of Arizona. Former President Donald Trump expressed his support for Greene but believed House Republicans weren’t in a position to vote on the ouster bid.
Ultimately, the motion was anticipated to fail due to Democratic leaders voting to table it. This resulted in 163 Democrats doing so as well. 32 Democrats voted with Greene due to their opposition to Johnson’s politics and belief that Democrats should have asked for more in exchange for their votes.
It remains uncertain if Greene will continue to push for votes to oust Johnson. The 11 House Republicans who voted to advance the effort were Andy Biggs, Eric Burlison, Eli Crane, Warren Davidson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Paul Gosar, Thomas Massie, Alex Mooney, Barry Moore, Chip Roy
