Johnson survived his first ouster attempt. Making it past November will be harder.

By Jordain Carney | 05/09/2024 06:38 AM EDT

Eleven conservatives took a vote against the speaker Wednesday — spelling a hard road to staying in charge after this Congress.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) speaking with reporters Wednesday. Francis Chung/POLITICO

Barely 24 hours after muddying her timeline, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene did it anyway — and lost big.

Speaker Mike Johnson survived the Georgia Republican’s first proposal to oust him, which was tabled on a lightning-quick 359-43 vote, with seven Democrats voting present.

Only 10 conservatives voted alongside Greene to keep her speaker-firing push alive. It was an unquestionable victory for Johnson, though he got a big boost from the vast majority of Democrats who voted to keep him in place.

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But the Louisiana Republican’s time as speaker may have a serious time limit. Johnson reiterated this week that he intends to run again for the House’s top spot if Republicans keep the majority — and winning that race will be much tougher than his surprise victory last October.

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