Johnson’s speakership saved because top four candidates to replace him lack votes to win gavel

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) survived an attempt to strip him of the speaker’s gavel in a resounding rejection of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-GA) motion to vacate. But it’s not necessarily an endorsement of his leadership.

The motion to oust Johnson was shot down by a majority of both Republicans and Democrats largely due to an overwhelming desire to prevent the House from being plunged into another chaotic leaderless period. But others conceded it would also be too difficult to find another speaker who could win the support of the entire GOP conference.