House Democrats may consider not showing up to a vote in order to save Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) as Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) threaten to oust him.
It is expected that when the vote is called, House Republicans will postpone or even cancel it, essentially killing it. Democrats, however, instead of putting up “yes” votes, may “take a walk” and not show up to the vote, according to Politico. This would bring the threshold down for it to pass, which could allow many Republicans who are not as critical of Johnson as Greene and Massie to vote in favor of it.
“I really don’t think it changes a whole lot,” Rep. Gary Palmer (R-AL) said, adding that “a handful of people who want to use [the motion to vacate] as a weapon.” He said the rest of House Republicans could be open to this idea as long as more concessions to Democrats are not made.
Democrats not showing up helps the first round of votes, but there will likely be more to come.
“Are there subsequent rounds? Are we doing the motion every week, every single day we’re in session?” Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT) said. “We were in unknown territory last fall. We’d be in completely unknown territory again with that. I don’t anticipate something like that being sustainable.”
Without help from Democrats, Johnson must rely on all but two Republicans to vote to keep him in his position, so long as all Republicans are present and voting.
If the motion to vacate happens, it would be the second time Democrats have voted to help House Republicans this Congress. Last year, 52 Democrats voted in favor of the rule to raise the debt ceiling, which then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy negotiated with Democrats at the time. The negotiations angered Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and other Republicans who supported ousting him.
In the end, Democrats did not save McCarthy, and several Republicans voted to oust him, the first time in history a speaker was ousted.
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Johnson will have to balance how to negotiate with Democrats, whose votes he may need to save his speakership, without catering too much to their demands and frustrating Republicans.
“There are enough [Democrats] who would support him if he wants it,” Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) said. “There are probably more people who would be upset if Democrats helped keep him as speaker than there are people in the Republican Party who want him to leave.”
