How Democrats saving Mike Johnson will put his speakership in greater peril

House Democrats have floated coming to House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) rescue in the event of a vote to oust him, something that risks jeopardizing his speakership even more.

In February, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said he believed “a reasonable number” of Democrats would vote to keep Johnson as House speaker if hard-liners in the Republican Party turned against him over matters such as Ukraine aid. The possibility has drawn the outrage of many Republicans, who believe at such a polarized time that Democrats coming to his aid would be a death sentence.