Tensions were high among House Republicans on Tuesday, as a group of hardline Republicans threatened to protest Speaker Mike Johnson’s leadership during the following day’s House Republican Conference leadership elections. .
Three sources told Fox News Digital that members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus were exploring ways to show their displeasure with House Republican leaders during closed-door elections to decide who is likely to lead the majority next year.
Meanwhile, those threats sparked frustration among rank-and-file House Republicans, including one lawmaker who said such discussions were “just stupider.”
At the heart of the issue lies proposed rule changes that the House Republican Conference will also vote on, including a measure pushed by some Republicans to punish colleagues who deliberately sink their own party’s legislation in the House by stripping them of their committee assignments.
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House Republicans are fighting over their leadership races on Wednesday, ahead of Trump’s speech at the conference. (Getty Images)
Johnson told Politico on Tuesday night that he would not support “punitive” measures against people who block the House floor, but sources said that would not be enough.
“There’s a difference between saying ‘I don’t support it’ and ‘I’m going to stop it.’ That’s a big difference,” one source said. “Their easy route is to just say, ‘Okay, there are no rule changes. We’re just going to move forward.'”
Reports previously indicated that members of the Freedom Caucus were looking for a candidate to challenge Johnson, something its president did not rule out.
“Having two people in a race is kind of the norm,” Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., told reporters when asked if his group was fielding a candidate. “We can do it Soviet style or American style.”
But as of Tuesday night no candidate appeared to emerge, although Fox News Digital sources said conservatives could still unite around someone.
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House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris did not deny that his group was looking at other candidates. (Getty Images)
Instead, Johnson’s Republican critics could seek a recorded vote in which they simply voted against his candidacy for president or write in another name by secret ballot, Fox News Digital was told.
The discord comes as President-elect Donald Trump plans to address House Republicans on Wednesday morning ahead of their leadership races, two other sources familiar with the planning told Fox News Digital.
Several Republican lawmakers who spoke to Fox News Digital were frustrated that the public chaos that permeated the 118th Congress could rear its head again, this time, when Republicans were poised to control all the levers of power in Washington.
“Frankly, I’m tired of the instigators. I’m tired of the conflict over the nonsense that happened last session,” Rep. Greg Murphy, R.N.C., told Fox News Digital.
Asked if lawmakers helping lead that charge should face consequences, Murphy said: “Absolutely. You can put that with an exclamation point.”
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Rep. Greg Murphy said Republicans who try to disrupt the conference should face consequences. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Another Republican lawmaker said they worried whether such an outcry would lead to another messy House fight for the speakership, similar to the 15 rounds of voting that former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., faced nearly two years ago.
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“What I would worry about is whether they are willing to take that battle to the floor again. That’s where it doesn’t serve any kind of positive purpose at that point,” that lawmaker said.
Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, posted on X: “Enough of the unserious political games; we have work to do.”
Others who have criticized Johnson in the past, such as Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla. – signaled little appetite to support an opponent against Johnson, particularly if Trump endorses the president on Wednesday morning.
The Hill was the first to report that members of the House Freedom Caucus were looking for a challenger to Johnson.
