WASHINGTON — Speaker Mike Johnson is staring down a revolt from Home Republican ladies.
A number of feminine lawmakers have been more and more defying Johnson, R-La., on legislative issues and lobbing public broadsides at him — together with a member of Johnson’s personal management workforce.
This week alone, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., launched a discharge petition to go round Johnson and pressure a flooring vote on a congressional inventory buying and selling ban, posting on X that she’s “pissed” that management isn’t shifting quick sufficient on the difficulty whereas clarifying, “I like Mike.” Johnson prefers to undergo common order, and there was an preliminary listening to on the difficulty.
Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, the chair of Home Republican Management, not solely signed on to Luna’s petition but additionally publicly unloaded on Johnson over an unrelated difficulty within the nationwide protection invoice, suggesting in a sequence of social media posts that Johnson lied concerning the matter. The spat has seemingly since been resolved, however the dangerous blood between the 2 has lengthy been simmering.
Requested about Stefanik’s broadsides within the Capitol on Wednesday, Johnson shrugged off the complaints and stated he’s “not apprehensive” about his standing “in any respect.”
“There’s 220 or so individuals on this convention and many completely different opinions,” he instructed reporters. “All people’s not delighted with each resolution each day, however that’s Congress.”
In the meantime, various high-profile Republican ladies are fleeing the Home for different alternatives, weighing retirement or quitting Congress early, fueling some concern that GOP ladies’s ranks could possibly be depleted within the subsequent Congress.
Taken collectively, it’s an indication of rising frustration amongst some Home GOP ladies, who’ve much less illustration in management and maintain solely a single elected committee gavel. Two Home Republican ladies, who spoke to NBC Information on situation of anonymity to debate delicate inside issues, stated that they really feel they’ve been handed over for alternatives, that their priorities don’t all the time get taken as significantly below Johnson’s management and that they imagine that could possibly be driving among the exits and public fights with him.
“It’s a sea change — for the more severe. And it’s one of many many causes that quite a few Home Republican ladies are operating for increased workplace,” one of many GOP ladies stated, accusing Johnson of “undercutting” some Republican ladies. “I’m involved there might be much less Republicans in Congress, interval, subsequent 12 months, and positively meaning there might be much less Republican ladies.”
The second girl stated: “We aren’t taken significantly. You will have ladies who’re very achieved, very profitable, who’ve earned the benefit, who aren’t given the time of the day.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia — who blindsided Johnson together with her latest resignation announcement, in accordance with a GOP supply accustomed to the state of affairs — has gone as far as to publicly accuse the present male GOP leaders of bias, telling The Washington Submit in a latest interview she believes Republican ladies have been “marginalized.”
Greene and Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, who has additionally been a vocal critic of Johnson, are scheduled to satisfy subsequent week to speak about their shared frustrations, in accordance with a supply accustomed to the matter.
A spokesman for Johnson’s political workforce stated in an announcement that he strongly helps the ladies in his convention and has been working onerous to recruit much more ladies to the Home, noting that a number of who’re on the Speaker’s Joint Fundraising Committee have acquired a mean of practically $400,000 for his or her campaigns to date this 12 months.
“Not solely has Speaker Johnson elevated ladies in management, he has additionally helped recruit and assist ladies operating for workplace,” the spokesman stated. “This cycle, we’ve got ladies operating in 10 of the highest districts we’re watching. Our workforce is in contact with them and others throughout the nation — simply as we had been in 2024 — as Speaker Johnson works to recruit sturdy conservatives who can win, assist us develop our majority, and assist us ship on our agenda.”
The vast majority of chairmanships and management positions are elected by your complete convention, however there are a couple of situations through which Johnson could make unilateral appointments or create new roles.
He appointed Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, 83, to steer the Guidelines Committee, making her the one feminine chair within the Home. He additionally put three Republican ladies on the Intelligence Committee, together with Stefanik, whom he additionally made the chair of Home Republican Management after her U.N. ambassadorship nomination was pulled.
Nonetheless, there are zero elected feminine committee chairs — and a few Republicans privately blame Johnson for that. Throughout a GOP steering committee assembly originally of this 12 months, Johnson spoke favorably of Rep. Brian Mast of Florida, who was operating for the Overseas Affairs Committee chairmanship towards Ann Wagner of Missouri. Some within the room interpreted that as Johnson’s signaling his choice, however Johnson insisted he wasn’t purposely attempting to tip the scales. Mast received.
Republicans have lengthy struggled with elevating ladies. A Republican girl has by no means served increased than because the GOP convention chair. That place, which is fourth-ranking within the majority and third-ranking within the minority, is held by Lisa McClain of Michigan. McClain nominated Johnson for the speakership.
McClain stated in an announcement that it’s an “absurd suggestion” to suggest that Johnson hasn’t accomplished sufficient to advertise GOP ladies.
“Because the Home’s highest rating girl, the Speaker has handled me with nothing lower than respect. He values my opinion, not as a lady, however as a trusted colleague,” she instructed NBC Information in an announcement. “Driving an pointless divide over gender is a Democrat tactic, and Republicans can be silly to offer in to this left-wing framing.”
Flooring issues
In latest weeks, delicate points associated to ladies have pitted Republican ladies towards their very own management.
4 Republicans — Mace, Greene and Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Lauren Boebert of Colorado — had been concerned in a discharge petition to pressure a flooring vote on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein recordsdata, saying they wish to assist ship justice for the ladies the late financier sexually abused.
But it surely was the three Republican ladies who confronted the brunt of a strain marketing campaign from each the White Home and Johnson to drop off the petition. Johnson stated he was towards the discharge petition as a result of he was involved about defending the identities of the feminine victims, though a lot of them had advocated for the discharge of the recordsdata.
The discharge petition finally succeeded final month, and when the vote consequence seemed inevitable, President Donald Trump then determined to get behind the difficulty. It handed with only one no vote, and Trump signed it into legislation.
The identical month, one other divisive difficulty got here to the ground — and it was as soon as once more predominantly Republican ladies who broke ranks with get together management.
Mace pressured a vote on a decision to censure fellow GOP Rep. Cory Mills of Florida, partly over his alleged misconduct towards ladies. A choose granted a restraining order that an ex-girlfriend had been searching for, alleging Mills had harassed her and threatened her with blackmail and revenge porn.
Mills has denied any wrongdoing and has vowed to adjust to the Home Ethics probe, saying on the Home flooring, “I imagine all of the accusations and false issues being stated might be confirmed to be completely false in some ways, and I’ve the proof and receipts and stay up for working with them.”
Eight Republicans voted with Democrats towards a GOP movement to kill the decision, six of them ladies: Mace, Boebert, Greene, Luna, Kat Cammack of Florida and Harriet Hageman of Wyoming.
Mace additionally wrote a letter to Johnson elevating issues about Mills however stated she by no means acquired a response.
Johnson has argued he ought to let the investigative course of play out, because the Ethics Committee has created a subpanel to probe the allegations towards Mills. However some ladies had been disillusioned together with his response when NBC Information pressed them concerning the accusations at a information convention in October. Johnson referred to as Mills a “devoted colleague” after which, rising pissed off with reporters for persevering with to ask questions on Mills, urged they “speak about some issues which can be actually critical.”
Future GOP ranks
At the least 4 GOP ladies received’t return within the subsequent Congress, elevating the likelihood that the variety of Home Republican ladies may really decline after the 2026 midterms. Greene is resigning, Stefanik and Mace are operating for governor, and Rep. Ashley Hinson of Iowa is operating for the Senate.
Greene and Stefanik are prolific fundraisers, and Stefanik particularly has labored to recruit and enhance feminine GOP candidates via her PAC.
Hinson has additionally been seen as a rising star within the get together since she flipped a Democratic-held Home seat in 2020. That was a banner election cycle for Home Republican ladies, whose ranks greater than doubled from a low level of simply 13 after the 2018 midterms.
There are 33 feminine Republicans within the Home, together with two nonvoting members, in contrast with 96 Democratic ladies. The variety of GOP ladies within the Home has declined barely for the reason that report variety of 36 set in 2023.
“The departures of those ladies, notably within the Home, makes returning to or exceeding the report for Republican ladies within the Home tougher,” stated Kelly Dittmar, director of analysis and a scholar on the Heart for American Ladies and Politics on the Eagleton Institute of Politics.
Whereas the variety of GOP ladies who’re retiring continues to be comparatively small, Dittmar stated a single loss is felt “that rather more” as a result of Republican ladies are already beginning at low ranges of illustration.
“There’s a lot we don’t learn about whether or not or not this might be 12 months for Republicans or Democrats. However actually, from all we all know traditionally, it can take a very good 12 months for Republicans and a excessive stage of Republican ladies operating, which had been the circumstances in 2020, to make sure that you could possibly make up for these losses and perhaps even exceed,” she stated.
Candidates are nonetheless contemplating and launching campaigns, so it’s not clear but what number of races will embody Republican ladies.
Maggie’s Checklist, a gaggle that helps GOP ladies for workplace, introduced Wednesday that it’s endorsing 4 extra Home candidates, together with two in Republican-leaning districts: state Rep. Shannon Lundgren in Iowa’s 2nd District, which Hinson is vacating to run for the Senate, and former Rep. Mayra Flores, who’s difficult Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez in Texas’ thirty fourth District.
The group additionally backed three candidates for governor, together with Stefanik, bringing its 2026 endorsements to date to 27 GOP ladies, together with 18 Home candidates.
Former Florida Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll, a nationwide spokesperson for Maggie’s Checklist, stated she was assured that the variety of GOP ladies in Congress would “keep regular.”
Carroll stated Johnson has been supportive of their efforts, and he appeared on the group’s fundraiser in Washington, D.C. However she stated the get together has extra work to do to assist feminine candidates, saying, “We nonetheless should show ourselves over and over.”
“On the Republican facet, they attempt to, I suppose, keep away from identification,” Carroll added later. “And on the Democrat facet, they don’t care. They may embrace, in the event that they’re pushing for extra ladies to be elected, then that’s the place the mantra will go and that’s the place the cash will go and that’s the place the vitality would go.”
Successful for Ladies, a gaggle that additionally helps GOP ladies and has a brilliant PAC to spice up its endorsed candidates, can be targeted on recruitment. Government Director Meredith Allen Dellinger stated Successful for Ladies has already met with 60 potential candidates throughout 32 states and is endorsing contenders like lawyer Jessica Hart Stein and Military veteran Alex Mealer, who’re operating in ruby-red Texas districts.
“Since stepping into this battle in 2019, the variety of Republican ladies serving within the Home has greater than doubled and at the moment we’ve got a report variety of Republican ladies within the U.S. Senate. That progress is actual, however there’s extra work to do, which is why we’re closely targeted on recruitment this cycle,” Dellinger stated in an announcement, describing Stein and Mealer as candidates who “embody principled, options‑oriented conservatism and the management our get together must construct a sturdy Home majority.”
And whereas numerous GOP teams are engaged in supporting feminine candidates, Dittmar stated a scarcity of focused infrastructure throughout the get together itself is a “continued and protracted downside” for Republican ladies seeking to develop their ranks.
“There’s simply opposition to it, like there’s simply each ideological opposition, strategic opposition to it,” Dittmar stated, including that Republican ladies have pushed efforts to assist feminine candidates themselves.
The Nationwide Republican Congressional Committee additionally had an initiative within the 2014 election cycle dubbed “Venture GROW,” aimed toward recruiting and empowering feminine GOP candidates, however that program didn’t final lengthy.
“All these efforts have simply actually struggled to remain,” Dittmar stated. “And once more, I don’t put it on the ladies. I believe it’s the get together total that’s not seeing this as a precedence.”
