With the election of the new speaker of the US House of Representatives, the ultra-conservative Mike Johnson, he has to face many challenges: the deadline to pass the federal budget, deep divisions within his party and the very slim majority of Republicans in the House.

Unknown to the general public before Wednesday’s surprise win as speaker of the House, Johnson, a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump, is certainly aiming to take advantage of his new role to push through the spending cuts demanded by Republicans.

But his work foreshadows difficult among the imperative to vote on providing aid to Ukraine and Israel and the need to adopt a budget to avoid a federal government shutdown on November 17.

Johnson will have to find a common line between the different positions of Republicans, who in recent weeks have shown their deep disagreements, and find himself at the same table with experienced negotiators, such as Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, the leader of the Senate.

For his friend, Republican Rep. Chris Smith, Johnson is a man of “principles, deeply committed, who knows how to achieve his goals.”

“Mike’s experience in the House of Representatives as the Republican vice speaker shows that he is capable of uniting Republicans and allowing us to continue our work,” he assured.

However, 51-year-old Mike Johnson was not the party’s first choice. In fact, the Louisiana congressman was the fourth candidate chosen by his party in 22 days to replace Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted on October 3 in a historic vote.

Resentment from Republicans, who wanted to complete the process of electing a new president that had embarrassed the party, played a role in his election. Like, probably, his profile, the discreet technocrat, a man who managed to rise step by step to power, without making enemies in his political family.

Respectable

“Mike is one of those people who gets along with everyone and is highly respected,” Colorado Republican Rep. Ken Buck told CNN.

Proof of this: Johnson was able to count yesterday on the support of Matt Gents, a fervent Trumpist and one of the architects of McCarthy’s downfall, whose fate he wishes to avoid.

Mike Johnson Obeys ‘Almighty God and Constitution Above All’ and “will do great things for the country”, estimated Gets before yesterday’s vote. At the same time, he emphasized that the new president of the House does not come “from any wing” of the Republican party, as his support for Trump is known.

“If you don’t think the change from Kevin McCarthy to MAGA Mike Johnson shows the strengthening of this movement and where the power really lies in the Republican party, then you’re not paying attention,” Gates said on Steve Bannon’s podcast, referring to slogan MAGA (Make America Great Again – make America great again) of the Republican ex-president.

Conservative

One of the biggest challenges Johnson will face is passing a budget to fund the federal government, which was averted at the last minute in September.

A handful of Trumpites, who have disproportionately large influence given the slim majority of Republicans in the House, have been ordered by Trump to “paralyze” the federal state if they do not get the concessions they want from the Democrats on “all” issues.

Johnson might try to get a temporary budget passed to avoid it the “shutdown” until January.

Democrats blame him for his ultra-conservative views, but also for the fact that, along with more than 100 Republicans, he signed a memorandum to the Supreme Court supporting Trump’s appeal, with which the former president sought to annul the results of his presidential election 2020 in four US states, where Joe Biden had won. The judges refused to hear the case.

Besides, his positions against abortion – for which he supports the imposition of a national ban – and against marriage and the rights of the LGBTI+ community are already known from the time he practiced law.

But Johnson’s views may also benefit the Democratic Party: in the November 2022 midterm elections, two issues — protecting abortion rights and defending democratic institutions — moved many voters to choose Democrats. The party is now hoping the same will happen in the presidential election, and Johnson’s tough stances are likely to help.