Politics Update #94 – Mike Johnson: consequences of a ‘MAGA’ Speaker

Republican populists might dominate the presidential primary, but it seemed like the party’s old guard could still count on maintaining control over congressional leadership positions; but that changed last month when Mike Johnson – a relatively unknown Louisiana conservative and enthusiastic supporter of Donald Trump – was elected to replace the moderate Kevin McCarthy as Speaker. In this update we give the reasons for McCarthy’s overthrow and preview the different perspective Johnson might bring to the immediate issues of the near future (Ukraine, Israel and government funding); we also consider how his leadership might alter conditions for the 2024 election by aligning more closely with Trump’s agenda and maybe facilitating the campaigns of other MAGA candidates downballot.