Why Mike Johnson is hardly an accidental speaker

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Oct 27, 2023 View in browser   By Daniella Diaz Presented by Chevron With assists from POLITICO’s Congress team Mike Johnson's rise was due to a series of savvy political maneuverings as much as it was due to luck, dating back to Johnson's first run for Congress. | Francis Chung/POLITICO FOUR TERMS IN THE MAKING Much of the media has regarded Mike Johnson’s two-day-old speakership as something of an accident of history. But the record shows Johnson’s ascent was no accident. It was the culmination of a deliberate series of moves aimed at positioning himself for greater power. Since Johnson's first run for Congress, the now four-term Louisianan has always ensured he is in line ideologically with the most conservative faction of the House GOP — without going to their tactical extremes. That ultimately made him a palatable choice to fellow Republicans, who unanimously elected him speaker Wednesday after 22 fractious days on Capitol Hill. "He's the right man for the job, and I have faith in him," said Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.), who is aligned with the more moderate wing of the conference. "He's a good man, he's a good Christian, and he's going to do an excellent job at this." A sudden opportunity: Johnson was still a first-term state lawmaker when a vacancy opened in the northwest Louisiana House district then held by GOP Rep. John Fleming, a charter member of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus. Fleming was among several Republicans who jumped into the race to succeed retiring Sen. David Vitter, and Johnson moved decisively to pick up Fleming’s baton. Johnson ran with the Freedom Caucus imprimatur and a six-figure donation from its PAC, as well as backing from Citizens United and the Club for Growth — giving him a crucial leg up over the four other Republicans in the race. But once sworn in, Johnson made an unexpected pivot: He frequently attended Freedom Caucus meetings but never actually joined the group. This was at a moment when it was solidifying its reputation as a thorn in leadership’s side, helping to complicate the ultimately failed effort to push health care legislation and other parts of President Donald Trump’s agenda through the House. Taking down a veteran: Johnson instead set his sights on a different perch: leading the Republican Study Committee, the sprawling conservative policy group that counted the majority of the GOP conference among its members. Ahead of his second term, Johnson took on Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.), a veteran pol who had served a decade in Congress and spent 25 years in California state politics before that. Johnson leapt into the race early, and where McClintock was openly critical of Freedom Caucus tactics, Johnson was more accommodating, suggesting that the two groups could work in tandem. After Johnson won, McClintock told Roll Call, “The fact of the matter is he completely out campaigned me during the recess.” The RSC chairmanship gave Johnson an early opportunity to interact with a wide variety of members, hosting weekly member lunches and directing a sizable policy and communications staff — experience that set him up for his next step up the ladder, an unopposed run for conference vice chairman in 2020. The quiet conservative: Throughout his House career, Johnson walked a careful line — interacting closely with the hard-liners and embracing their strategic objectives without engaging in their divisive tactics. He has backed drastic federal spending cuts and strict abortion restrictions but never opposed a GOP rule or threatened to vacate the speakership. Meanwhile, he was building his credibility as a Trump loyalist, culminating in his late-2020 effort to rally Republicans behind a court brief arguing for the Supreme Court to intervene in presidential vote-counting. Johnson told the Daily Beast in 2018 that he strived to maintain ties with both the Freedom Caucus and the party leadership: “I was one of those unique and unusual circumstances where I had close friendships and trusted relationships on all sides of the conference.” That continued as the hard-liners moved against Speaker Kevin McCarthy this year. Johnson voted against Ukraine funding and the Sept. 30 spending stopgap. But he never once cast a vote against the conference nominee for speaker, and he backed McCarthy’s debt-limit deal — giving him credibility as a team player. Fleming, his 4th District predecessor, praised Johnson’s political skills in an interview and said his ascent bodes well for conservative policymaking. “He’s a very talented guy,” he said, adding, “I think he saw along the way the potential to move up in leadership, and like any good politician, he’s going to take advantage of an opportunity.” — Daniella Diaz   A message from Chevron: Chevron knows methane management is critical for a lower carbon future. We’re striving to lead in methane management with innovative practices, partnerships, and new technologies. These are a few ways we’re aiming to keep methane in the pipe.   GOOD EVENING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Friday, Oct. 27, where your Huddle host is stoked for her first weekend off in two weeks. JOHNSON’S CHIEF STAYS ON Hayden Haynes is staying on as Johnson’s chief of staff as Johnson moves into a much bigger office with a much bigger staff and a much bigger portfolio of potential headaches. A Louisiana native like his boss, Haynes has served as top aide throughout Johnson’s congressional career — first managing his 2016 House race, then serving as his chief ever since. “He has the speaker’s trust,” said Robert Boland, chief of staff to Majority Whip Tom Emmer. “Sometimes, that's one of the most important things you can have — the complete trust of your boss.” Before coming to Washington with Johnson, Haynes worked on David Vitter’s campaign for governor and as state aide to Vitter when he was in the Senate. “I think Hayden is doing a great job,” added Patrick Hester, chief of staff to Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik. “And it's important in these kinds of times of transition to trust your gut and trust your skills, and he’s more than qualified to do his job.” He’s now faced with a huge task: more than tripling the size of the staff he directs. Notably, when your Huddle host reached out to Haynes about this item, she received an automatic reply directing those seeking jobs to another staffer entirely. — Daniella Diaz   GROWING IN THE GOLDEN STATE: POLITICO California is growing, reinforcing our role as the indispensable insider source for reporting on politics, policy and power. From the corridors of power in Sacramento and Los Angeles to the players and innovation hubs in Silicon Valley, we're your go-to for navigating the political landscape across the state. Exclusive scoops, essential daily newsletters, unmatched policy reporting and insights — POLITICO California is your key to unlocking Golden State politics. LEARN MORE.     TOP DEM DOWN ON 'BIFURCATED’ SUPPLEMENTAL In his first in-depth interview as speaker, Johnson told Fox’s Sean Hannity on Thursday night that he intended to “bifurcate” President Joe Biden’s joint request for aid to Israel and Ukraine. That won a sharp rebuke from Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democratic appropriator, who said it was “not feasible” to move the two pieces separately, especially given the three weeks that Republicans spent searching for a new speaker. “House Republicans wasted 22 days trying to end their Speaker election chaos,” DeLauro told Huddle in a statement Friday, “and are now wasting valuable, limited time on their extreme 2024 funding bills instead of working to send critical support to allies abroad and address pressing domestic issues for American families living paycheck to paycheck.” DeLauro also slammed Johnson’s proposal to offset a proposed $14 billion in Israel funding with budget cuts elsewhere. “Emergency supplemental funding is used to address urgent crises and complement full year funding bills. Requiring offsets for this funding would set a dangerous precedent and hinder our ability to quickly respond to emergencies both at home and abroad.” — Daniella Diaz   PLAYBOOK IS GOING GLOBAL! We’re excited to introduce Global Playbook, POLITICO’s premier newsletter that brings you inside the most important conversations at the most influential events in the world. From the buzzy echoes emanating from the snowy peaks at the WEF in Davos to the discussions and personalities at Milken Global in Beverly Hills, to the heart of diplomacy at UNGA in New York City – author Suzanne Lynch brings it all to your fingertips. Experience the elite. Witness the influential. And never miss a global beat. BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION. SUBSCRIBE NOW.     HUDDLE HOTDISH Rep. Sara Jacobs was very excited for 1989 (Taylor’s Version) to drop. QUICK LINKS  Dean Phillips launches bid for president. ‘It could be the end of his political career,’ from Elena Schneider Santos pleads not guilty to new fraud charges, from Emily Ngo   A message from Chevron:   TRANSITIONS  Ben Dech has been promoted to be scheduler for Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.). He continues as a legislative correspondent for her. MONDAY IN CONGRESS The House is out. The Senate is in at 3 p.m. with votes at 5:30 p.m. MONDAY AROUND THE HILL *crickets*   A message from Chevron: By 2028, our upstream methane intensity target is set to be 53% below the 2016 baseline. To help us get there, we’ve trialed over 13 advanced methane technologies including satellites, planes, drones, and fixed sensors to help reduce methane emissions intensity. In the Permian, we have deployed real-time autonomous optimizers that continuously monitor facilities and well conditions to help prevent flaring, venting and well shutdowns. Developing new solutions to provide energy that’s affordable, reliable and ever-cleaner, that’s energy in progress.   TRIVIA THURSDAY’S ANSWER: Jack Howard correctly answered that Rep. James A. Traficant Jr. (D-Ohio) was the fifth-ever to be expelled from the chamber following a 10-count federal conviction in 2002. He also made his mark during a speaker vote for voting for a speaker of the opposite party. TODAY’S QUESTION from Jack: James K. Polk was the only speaker of the House to be elected president. Who was the only president to later assume the duties of temporary speaker? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your answers to huddletrivia@politico.com. GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each evening. Follow Daniella on X at @DaniellaMicaela.   Follow us

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