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Former Freedom Caucus chair on Johnson: ‘I’m going to keep my options open’

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Rep. Scott Perry said Thursday that he’s not committing to voting for Mike Johnson for speaker, adding a former Freedom Caucus chair to the conservative crowd sowing doubt over Johnson’s prospects to retake the gavel.

“I think that Mike has done an admirable job under tough conditions, but I’m going to keep my options open,” Perry (R-Pa.) said Friday morning on Fox Business. “I want to have a conversation with Mike.”

Perry’s comments come after current HFC Chair Andy Harris (R-Md.) said Thursday that Republicans need to consider if current leadership “is what we need” going into unified GOP government next year, adding that he is “undecided” on who should be in House leadership come January.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) was the first Republican to promise that he’ll vote against Johnson for speaker, pledging to vote for someone else. But Harris, Perry and Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) all publicly voicing indecision could spell trouble for Johnson.

The House will vote to elect a speaker on Jan. 3, just one week from Friday, and with Republicans’ razor-thin margin, any defections could put Johnson’s speakership in jeopardy. Republicans are expected to have a 219-215 majority on Jan. 3, and Johnson can only afford to have one Republican vote against him.

The speaker is taking heat from his conference’s right flank over his handling of the stopgap funding bill to keep the government funded until mid-March. There is specific dissatisfaction over federal spending and lack of offsets.

There is one voice that Perry says could end speculation and indecision over the speakership: President-elect Donald Trump.

“We’ve just got to make sure that we get the best person for the job under the circumstances,” Perry said. “And I’ll tell you the one that might be able to make the difference is, quite honestly, President Trump. Whoever the president backs is likely to be the speaker, regardless.”

And Perry added his top priority is ensuring that Congress can deliver on the incoming Trump administration’s agenda.

“These members are signaling that they don’t know that they have the confidence in Mike to be able to do that based on past performance,” said Perry.

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Congress

Senate GOP ready to move on elections bill

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Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso told reporters Monday the chamber will vote Tuesday to take up a House-passed elections bill known as the SAVE America Act.

The Wyoming Republican, whose job it is to help round up support, said he is “doing everything I can to make sure we get on this bill tomorrow.”

Republicans will need a simple majority to begin debate on the partisan legislation; they can lose three members and still let Vice President JD Vance break a tie.

So far, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) has said he’s a “no,” while Republicans are also watching GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

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Jesse Jackson’s family withdraws posthumous endorsement in Illinois Senate primary

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The family of the late Rev. Jesse Jackson walked back a posthumous endorsement of Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton’s Senate campaign on Monday, after the family said Jackson’s endorsements for Tuesday’s primaries were not completed before his death.

On Saturday, Stratton’s campaign touted an endorsement from Jackson, who died last month, and his son Yusef. The announcement came after Stratton saw Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the Jackson family’s organziation, passing out sample ballots — which were also obtained by Blue Light News — that recommended Stratton.

“[Jackson’s] example has been a north star for me, and I’m deeply honored to have received his trust, support, and endorsement before his passing,” Stratton said in a statement on Saturday.

But on Monday, Yusef Jackson, who is the organization’s COO, said the draft sample ballot was “released without authorization” and that the Jackson family and Rainbow PUSH Coalition are not making political endorsements this cycle.

His father “began the process of reviewing candidates and identifying those he intended to support in the upcoming primary election,” Yusef Jackson said in the statement. “However, given his passing just over a month ago, the process was never fully completed. Out of respect for my father, we decided not to publicly release his intended selections given the process had not been finalized.”

The Stratton campaign said on Monday that officials with Rainbow PUSH Coalition said she had been endorsed by Jackson.

“Juliana spoke on Saturday at Rainbow PUSH for a Women’s History Month event and officials told her she received the endorsements. Organizers shared the sample election ballot that was already being distributed and encouraged her to share the news,” the Stratton campaign said in a statement.

The endorsement mix-up draws further scrutiny on the split among Black Democrats in Illinois between Stratton and Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), who are both seeking to succeed retiring Sen. Dick Durbin. Some Democrats in the state have expressed concern that Stratton and Kelly could split the vote in Tuesday’s primary, creating a path for Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) to win the nomination.

Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.) told Blue Light News prior to the family’s statement that his father “never got in on Black-on-Black fights.”

Jonathan Jackson added that the races the late Jesse Jackson “was excited about” were himself and former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.’s comeback bid.

“He wouldn’t do that. He was always pushing the community forward,” Jackson said. “This smells of desperation.”

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Johnson on Trump’s Hormuz plan

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Speaker Mike Johnson said he supports President Donald Trump’s effort to build a global coalition ensure safe passage of commerce through the Strait of Hormuz — even if Trump “didn’t anticipate it” being necessary before launching airstrikes against Iran.

Speaking to reporters after attending a Washington event with Trump, Johnson said the president told him that “he anticipated the strait of Hormuz would be closed.”

“I don’t know that he didn’t anticipate it in the front end, but now it’s necessitated,” Johnson said. He added that the coalition is “a reasonable thing” for other countries to assist with and “it would be helpful.”

Asked about how much a potential supplemental package to fund the military action would cost, Johnson said, “We don’t know yet.” Estimates for the cost of the war have exceeding $1 billion per day.

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