Scott Perry becomes latest House Republican to keep 'options open' on next speaker vote

Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry on Friday became the latest House Republican to decline to commit to who he would vote for as House speaker in the chamber-wide election next month.

House Speaker Mike Johnson received unanimous support from House Republicans in November as the party's nominee for the floor vote, but some lawmakers have since soured on the speaker over his handling of the House spending bill. 

Perry told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo that he was keeping his options open on who he would support, but said he does think Johnson has done well under pressure. He did not indicate who he could support instead.

“Right now, I think that Mike has done an admirable job under tough conditions, but I’m going to keep my options open. I want to have a conversation with Mike,” Perry said. “What members are seeking is what they think is good for the country, and they don’t see, in some cases, where Speaker Johnson has gotten us to the place where we can claim that we’ve achieved that."

The lack of clear support comes as Republicans hold a narrow majority in the lower chamber next year, holding 219 seats and Democrats holding 215. This means Johnson can only afford to lose a handful of Republican votes if he wants to keep the gavel.

Maryland Rep. Andy Harris said he was not sure what the new leadership in Congress would look like. New York Rep. Nicole Maliotakis said she has questions for Johnson and concerns still, and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie said he will not support Johnson next year.

Perry said that one person who could still make a difference ahead of the vote is President-elect Donald Trump. The incoming president has supported Johnson throughout his last term, but voiced opposition to the spending deal.

"Whoever the president backs, is likely to be the speaker regardless,” Perry said.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.