Rep. Chip Roy (R-Tex.) said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) could lose his bid to keep the gavel when the chamber votes later this week.
“Right now, I don’t believe that he has the votes on Friday and I think we need to have the conference get together so that we can get united,” Roy told Fox Business host Ashley Webster on Tuesday.
Johnson’s hopes of retaining his leadership post rest on near unanimity among his party, with The Hill noting that just two GOP defections could be enough to sink his bid.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has already said he will vote against Johnson, and several others haven’t committed to him, including Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.).
Roy indicated that he’s also not in Johnson’s corner ― at least not yet.
“Victoria’s a good friend and Thomas is a good friend and they raise reasonable concerns,” Roy told Webster. “I remain undecided, as do a number of my colleagues, because we saw so many of the failures last year that we are concerned about that might limit or inhibit our ability to advance the president’s agenda.”
President-elect Donald Trump endorsed Johnson, but that may not be enough to convince the holdouts, including Roy. Asked who might step up should Johnson get voted out, Roy suggested Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) or Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).
“But what we need to do is unite around a plan to deliver for the president,” Roy said. “Right now, I do not believe the conference has that.”
The House cannot conduct business until a speaker is selected, something that’s been a struggle for the GOP since it took control over the chamber in the 2022 midterm election.
In January 2023, it took four days for Republicans to coalesce around Kevin McCarthy, who lost the gavel later that year when several members of his own conference turned against him.
It took three weeks for Republicans to settle on Johnson as McCarthy’s replacement.
See more of Roy’s interview on Fox Business below:
