David vs. Goliath: Mike Johnson’s First Week as Speaker

Louisiana Representative Mike Johnson emerged from obscurity last week, rising to Speaker of the House at a critical junction for Conservatives and America as a whole. Johnson faces his first test as Speaker, grappling with the decision of whether to prioritize the calls of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican Senators alike for joint Israel-Ukraine aid or the Conservative Grassroots’ demand to prioritize domestic crises, as America faces record-breaking surges in illegal migrant encounters and rising overdose rates. With a solid grounding in conservative principles and an unapologetic commitment to his faith-driven worldview, Johnson’s career has been the embodiment of the ongoing battle between everyday Conservatives and the entrenched elites of D.C. Hailing from Shreveport, Mike Johnson is no stranger to swamps, but now this modern-day Cajun David will be put to his first major test as he takes on the Goliath that is the Washington Establishment.

Mike Johnson was little known to much of America prior to his election as Speaker. A new report from Media Intelligence Group, which employs state-of-the-art artificial intelligence technology to monitor online discussions surrounding politicians and political issues, found that prior to his election, Johnson was hardly discussed by social media users. In fact, in all of September, just 820 users nationally mentioned Johnson online. That all changed when Johnson rose to be elected the 56th Speaker of the House. On October 25th alone, Johnson’s online mentions exploded to 6,056, and he ended October with 16,335 total user mentions.

Johnson’s first week as Speaker quickly disappointed the D.C. establishment. Johnson has gone directly against the Senate’s plea to couple Israel and Ukraine aid into one single package. Instead, Johnson opted to cut Ukraine aid from Israel aid and made funding for Israel aid contingent on a $14 billion cut in IRS funding from Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. Both separating Ukraine aid and IRS
cuts immediately met resistance from Senate Democrats and Republicans alike. “That’s a poison pill and non-starter. It’s just not the way we’re going to proceed,” Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Ben Cardin (MD-D) told Politico. Furthermore, Republican Senator Mitt Romney voiced his opposition, “If we're going to have a piece of legislation that actually becomes law, it’s going to include support for Ukraine, as well as Israel..." adding, "Reducing the IRS doesn't make a lot of sense to me."

Johnson’s play to make Israel Aid stand-alone hasn’t been as unpopular with Americans as it has been in the Senate. MIG’s report found that Mike Johnson’s overall average sentiment score, an average of all positive and negative social media comments made towards Johnson to date, has remained high at 49% since announcing the stand alone Israel package. His daily sentiment score, an average of all positive and negative social media comments in a 24 hour window, has also been strong, remaining at or just below 50% each day over the last 7 days. These sentiment scores are considered high for prominent elected officials. For example, President Joe Biden has a 44% overall average sentiment and has not surpassed 45% daily sentiment once in the last 60 days. Despite increased scrutiny on both Johnson’s policy record and personal life since assuming the Speakership, Johnson has maintained both his 49% overall average sentiment and his short-term daily sentiment at elevated levels compared to peers like Biden.

With less than a month until a government shutdown, Speaker Johnson faces both honoring conservative commitments and the dueling priorities between the House and Senate as he fights to deliver Israel aid in its war against Hamas. Johnson’s ability to mobilize House Conservatives in favor of this package will be no small feat, nor will the coming stare down between the House and Senate in reconciling their clashing priorities. Johnson’s success or failure in navigating the choppy political waters in the coming weeks will set the tone for his Speakership. Yet with the latest Israel bill introduced by Johnson, and steadfast conservative principles and faith as his guide, Johnson appears unwavering in the face of the Goliath that is the Washington Establishment.