After months of threats, Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene finally followed through on her promise to force a vote to oust Speaker of the House Mike Johnson.
On Wednesday, she was met with jeers from her colleagues, on the floor of the House, and a resounding 359 to 43 defeat, with seven members voting present.
Greene's relationship with Johnson has long been fraught - the situation escalated in March when Johnson worked with Democrats to pass a $1.2 trillion funding package and then reached a fever pitch in late April, when the House pushed through aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
While Greene is not alone in her desire to remove Johnson from power, her vote's failure makes it seem increasingly likely that Johnson will avoid the fate of a predecessor Kevin McCarthy - the first-ever speaker to be removed from the role during a legislative session. Unlike McCarthy, Johnson was saved by an unlikely ally - the House Democrats.
"Our decision to stop Marjorie Taylor Greene from plunging the House of Representatives and the country into further chaos is rooted in our commitment to solve problems for everyday Americans in a bipartisan manner," Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic Minority Leader told reporters. "We will continue to govern in a reasonable, responsible and results-oriented fashion, and put people over politics all day and every day."
While some see Johnson as a leader seeking bipartisan consensus to govern, Greene as repeatedly characterized his actions - especially his support of Ukraine - as a betrayal of Republican values. She described Johnson and other Republicans as being members of a "uniparty" with Democrats, rather than upholding conservatism in Washington.
"Given a choice between advancing Republican priorities or allying with Democrats to preserve his own personal power, Johnson regularly chooses to ally himself with Democrats," Greene read from her resolution on the floor of the House. After her vote failed, Greene reiterated her feelings about Johnson - telling reporters, "the Democrats now control Speaker Johnson."
Many in the GOP, however, backed Johnson with the goal of preserving the party's power before a contentious November election.
"They're pretty good at getting attention, but they have not been recognized for their ability to get things done," said South Dakota Republican Dusty Johnson of Greene and her allies, according to the Associated Press. "I think you can expect more of the same [if they force another vote]: Failure."
Former President Donald Trump weighed in on Greene's attempt to oust Johnson - noting that he "absolutely [loves]" the congresswoman, before rebuking her ambition to remove the Speaker.
"Republicans have to be fighting the Radical Left Democrats, and all the Damage they have done to our Country. With a Majority of One, shortly growing to three or four, we're not in a position of voting on a Motion to Vacate. At some point, we may very well be, but this is not the time," he wrote on Truth Social.
"If we show DISUNITY, which will be portrayed as CHAOS, it will negatively affect everything! Mike Johnson is a good man who is trying very hard."
