If Dems win back the House, will Johnson hand over the gavel?

[GAinDC]

What would stop him from going full MAGA and claiming the House elections were fraudulent? And how would Dems fight back?

[Mr.Bakari-Sellers]

He has to its not the same gacel anyways it a new one each time so if he refuses they have another one and they will lose the H NY, NJ, PA and MI are vulnerable

[Tekken_Guy]

Yes he will. Johnson isn’t Trump.

[Progressive Pessimist]

He might be relieved to not have to have the job anymore.

[KakyoinMemeHouse]

Let's not be ridiculous here. Obviously he will.

[Unbeatable Titan Susan Collins]

What sort of weird conspiracy is this... Regardless the 119th Congress ends on Jan 3rd so the election of the new speaker occurs anyway with new speaker (Jefferies I suppose)  swearing in the new members

[Duke of York]

Yes why wouldnt he. It would look horrible on live tv if he didn't. Plus it could happen sooner via special elections which last happened in 1931.

[100% pro-choice no matter what]

It's more likely that Johnson won't be speaker on January 3, 2027 then him actually refusing to hand over the gavel.

[The Arizonan]

If Mike Johnson doesn’t, then Hakeem Jeffries will challenge him to a duel.

[Existing in the context]

Is Johnson even going to be able stay in GOP House leadership in 27.

[2016]

This "Fear-Mongering" by these Red Avas here on Atlas need to stop.

Ya'll not helping anyone with this.

[DrScholl]

It would be hard for him to refuse to do so because the rules of the House are clear cut, but that doesn't mean a stunt is impossible.

[GAinDC]

This "Fear-Mongering" by these Red Avas here on Atlas need to stop.

Ya'll not helping anyone with this.

I bet you never thought Trump would refuse to step down after losing an election, or encourage his supporters to storm the Capitol — yet here we are.

[Del Tachi]

It's the role of the outgoing House Clerk to summon and convene the new Congress. This power is sometimes pivotal, like in December 1865 when House Clerk Edward McPherson ommitted the names of certain members-elect from Tennesse, Virginia, and Louisiana from the roll call and refused to recognize other members who rose in objection, thus giving the Radical Republicans a numeric majority and enabling them to elect Schuyler Colfax as Speaker.

Something similar could conceivably still happen today with the support from a majority of  House members seated and sworn, but standards of democratic legitimacy can't be undone by "one weird trick!" constitutional gymnastics.

If you're so worried about it, though, pass legislation to remove the party leadership's influence in nominating and electing the House Clerk. This could be done by assigning the position via statue, such as mandating the duties of the Clerk be performed by the Librarian of Congress (who is nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate). This isn't without precedent either, as the two positions weren't even seperated until 1815.

[CentristRepublican]

He might be relieved to not have to have the job anymore.

Hell, he might not have the job anymore by the time the elections happen!

Biggest thing that may really be stopping the Freedom Caucus-y types is there's no clear choice for replacement. Even look at the 3 defections - Norman went for Jordan, Massie went for Emmer, and Self went for Donalds. If that's any indication of anything, it's clear that there's no clear uniting choice. (Besides, even if they did get around somebody, what about the 190 relatively rank-and-file Republicans? It literally takes just 3 defections.)