Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) has not had an easy time of it since assuming the role last year, although there may finally be something to celebrate.
According to the latest Rasmussen Reports survey, Johnson has seen his favorability ratings grow in recent weeks, perhaps because of his decision to support the passage of a massive foreign aid package to Ukraine.
The survey notes:
Clinging to a one-vote Republican majority in the House of Representatives, Speaker Mike Johnson’s popularity with voters has actually increased in recent weeks.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 44% of Likely U.S. Voters have a favorable impression of Johnson, including 16% with a Very Favorable opinion of the Louisiana Republican. Thirty-two per cent (32%) view Johnson unfavorably, including 14% with a Very Unfavorable impression. Another 24% are not sure. In late February, 39% had a favorable impression of Johnson.
Meanwhile, some 87 percent said that Johnson is better or about the same as previous speakers, including 89 percent of Republicans.
Such findings may give conservatives food for thought, given the current speculation about removing him from the chair.
44% View Speaker Johnson Favorably
— Rasmussen Reports (@Rasmussen_Poll) April 30, 2024
Clinging to a one-vote Republican majority in the House of Representatives, Speaker Mike Johnson’s popularity with voters has actually increased in recent weeks.
More At Rasmussen Reports:https://t.co/besmSb6oYr pic.twitter.com/NgKnSv28ld
Yet, as reported by RedState on Tuesday, efforts to remove Johnson have fizzled in recent weeks, despite anger over his backing for the foreign aid bill:
The reality is that there are far too many forces working against a move to replace Johnson, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle seem to recognize this.
…
“I oppose a motion to vacate at the current time,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who led the ouster against former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) said the move is “pretty much not gonna happen” because they are “at too much of a slim majority.”
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) shared these sentiments, noting that he is “not hearing a lot of critical mass for it” and that “it’s not the time. Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ) said he has “left the door open” to ousting Johnson, but he does not “think it’s good timing” because “if it was triggered, I don’t think it would pass.”
Interestingly, Democrats have also pledged to protect Johnson until the end of his term as part of an effort to push back against supposedly pro-Russian forces.
“At this moment, upon completion of our national security work, the time has come to turn the page on this chapter of Pro-Putin Republican obstruction,” three House Democrats, Reps. Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar, said in a statement on Tuesday. “We will vote to table Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Motion to Vacate the Chair. If she invokes the motion, it will not succeed.”
Johnson, meanwhile, maintains that he is focused on doing his job effectively.
“I have to do my job, we have to do what we believe to be the right thing. What the country needs right now is a functioning Congress,” Johnson said this week. “We need people who are serious about the job here.”
