Nine House Republicans have signaled to Speaker Mike Johnson that they have the option of filing a motion to resign as speaker.
The House rules package, which will be voted on after the speaker is elected, includes a provision setting the threshold for the number of members to nine. I ask for a motion to remove the chair.
In the last Congress, that threshold was just one lawmaker, which cost Kevin McCarthy power.
In Friday's first vote, three House Republicans voted for someone other than Johnson. Two of the three subsequently changed their votes to Mr Johnson.
A further six members also initially withheld their votes for Johnson and changed their votes at the end of the first round.
The strategy suggests the nine members have indicated they have the power to send Johnson packing later this year.
Wendell Husebo is a political reporter for Breitbart News and a former RNC war room analyst. He is the author of The Politics of Slave Morality. Follow Wendell “×” @WendellHusebø or society of truth @WendellHusebo.
