Rep. Chip Roy (R-Tex.) said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) could lose his bid to retain the gavel when the chamber votes later this week.
“Right now, I don’t believe he has the votes on Friday and I think we need to let the conference meet so we can get united,” Roy told Fox Business host Ashley Webster on Tuesday.
Johnson’s hopes of retaining his leadership position rest on near unanimity within his party De Heuvel notes that just two GOP renegades could be enough to sink his bid.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has already said he will vote against Johnson, and several others have not committed to him, including Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.).
Roy indicated that he is not in Johnson’s corner either – at least not yet.
“Victoria is a good friend and Thomas is a good friend and they raise reasonable concerns,” Roy told Webster. “I remain undecided, as do several of my colleagues, because we saw so many failures last year that we worry it could limit or hinder our ability to advance the president’s agenda.”
President-elect Donald Trump endorsed Johnson, but that may not be enough to convince those left behind, including Roy. When asked who could step in if Johnson were 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 that can benefit the president,” Roy said. “At this point, I don’t believe the conference has that.”
The House of Representatives cannot conduct business until a speaker is elected, something the Republican Party has struggled to do since taking control of the chamber in the 2022 midterm elections.
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.
Watch more of Roy’s interview on Fox Business below: