If Not Elon Musk, Who Could Replace Mike Johnson? Top Republican Contenders

Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy and Representative Jim Jordan are among the Republicans who have been floated to potentially replace Mike Johnson if he can't shore up enough support on Friday to remain House speaker in the new Congress.

Why It Matters

Johnson, who has held the speaker's gavel for 13 months, faces potential GOP revolt on Friday in the House speaker race, as several Republicans could vote against him. The backlash against Johnson comes afterhis handling of the potential government shutdown, with two bills defeated in as many days thanks to external meddling and rival party opposition.

He faces difficult math, as he needs 218 votes to win, assuming all members are present. Republicans hold a slim majority of 219 seats, and GOP Representative Thomas Massie, of Kentucky, has already said he's a firm vote against Johnson. This means he needs every other Republican vote, and several remain undecided.

If he can't secure enough support, there could be a days-long "vote-a-rama" similar to two years earlier in 2021, when former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, also struggled to garner enough support to become speaker. It would bring official business of the House to a halt just days before the scheduled certification of Trump's Electoral College victory.

Trump advisor Steve Bannon said at a conference in Arizona on that Johnson "is not up to the task" and "doesn't have the right stuff ... that combination of guts and moxy and savvy and toughness."

Republicans have increasingly called for Johnson to step down and let another take the role. While Johnson is expected to ride out the turbulence, here are some of the candidates that could take the seat instead.

Newsweek reached out by email on Friday afternoon to the Trump transition team for comment.

Who To Watch

Elon Musk

The name foremost on Republican minds is Musk because of his visible presence during the process.

But some have challenged Musk's possible appointment, pointing to concerns over the fact he's not a natural-born U.S. citizen and couldn't hold the office of president if the line of succession came into play.

But the U.S. has had such individuals high up in the line of succession. Henry Kissinger and Madeleine Albright, both serving as U.S. secretary of state, were fourth in line of succession but were born in Europe. As such, the belief holds that the succession would simply skip Musk, who is a naturalized U.S. citizen as of 2002.

The House of Representatives alone holds the power to choose the speaker, and the Constitution lays out zero conditions as to who could hold the role—meaning that the House can choose a non-elected individual as the speaker if they could muster the votes.

Elon Musk led the charge against Johnson's initial spending bill, posting a picture of one proposed bill on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, along with the caption, "Ever seen a bigger piece of pork?"

Musk also insisted that the initial bipartisan bill "should not pass" and that it was a "criminal" piece of legislation. The bill was shot down, and a Republican-backed bill put to a vote on Thursday similarly failed as Democrats and some Republicans shot it down.

Vivek Ramaswamy

If not Musk, then his future Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) partner, Vivek Ramaswamy, has been floated as a potential candidate.

Senator Mike Lee of Utah named Ramaswamy as one of the possible replacements for Johnson after saying that the current speaker has "lost control" of the budget process.

Speaking with Fox News host Jesse Watters, Lee said that Johnson "is a good man, a friend, he's been a friend for a long time, a great person. He has lost control of this process.

"I don't know how he can remain in power. We need Elon or Vivek as speaker."

Ramaswamy sidestepped the citizenship question—although it is not as much a concern as some would believe—and similarly presents an out-of-the-box option who would fit the "drain the swamp" mentality of MAGA Republicans.

Jim Jordan

One man who has had his eyes on the House speaker role longer than almost any other is Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, who made a push for the job before Johnson secured it. Unlike Musk or Ramaswamy, Jordan has the added benefit of being a sitting House lawmaker.

Jordan made his bid after Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana failed in his effort—not even getting a vote as Representatives Lauren Bobert of Colorado, Bob Good of Virginia, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Max Miller of Ohio, Barry Moore of Alabama and Lloyd Smucker of Pennsylvania said they would vote for Jordan.

As more Republicans came out against voting for Scalise, Jordan gained backing to make his bid, which failed after three unsuccessful floor votes.

As a Trump loyalist, Jordan once again presents an attractive option for many Republicans. He serves as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and has laid out a clear vision for what he sees as the goals of the next Congress.

During an appearance on One Nation with Brian Kilmeade last month, Jordan said that the House needs "to do tax cuts, reauthorize the tax cuts that helped our economy to grow so much under Trump."

"Then we need to secure the border, of course, that was one of the key issues, the economy, securing the border. Part of growing the economy, too, then is commonsense energy policy, commonsense regulatory policy," Jordan said, according to The Gazette.

Steve Scalise

Representative Steve Scalise, the Louisiana Republican who currently serves as House majority leader, has also been floated as a potential speaker.

In October 2023, Scalise beat out Jordan in a House GOP conference vote to be the party' speaker nominee after McCarthy's ouster. But he struggled to consolidate support from the conservatives who voted for Jordan, eventually pulling his name from consideration.

He would bring high name recognition to the post, as well as connections across the conference he has built throughout his time in leadership. But winning over many of those same skeptics would remain a key challenge for Scalise if he emerges as a potential speaker nominee, and it's unclear whether those detractors would vote for him this time around.

Tom Emmer

Another candidate whose name has arisen in the discussions about a possible replacement is House Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota. An unnamed House Republican told the Washington Examiner that they viewed Emmer as the most likely replacement for Johnson.

Emmer fits the more traditional image of a House speaker, having led the National Republican Congressional Committee from 2019 to 2023 before taking up the Republican whip.

His experience as a leader and a man savvy in getting votes check the usual boxes for a speaker, in addition to his ability to fundraise substantial sums. He raised $34 million during the 2024 cycle, which the Examiner credited as a major factor for the Republicans to retain the House majority.

However, Emmer faces the biggest stumbling block—opposition from Trump, who proudly takes credit for killing his previous bid. Emmer ran after Jordan in the 2023 contest, but Trump called him a RINO (Republican in Name Only) and complained that Emmer "never respected" the former and future president's endorsements "or the breadth and scope of MAGA," according to The Hill.

Trump on Truth Social also called Emmer a "globalist RINO" and accused him of being "totally out-of-touch with Republican voters."

Emmer would therefore need Trump to change his mind and favor him if he were to have any chance at success in a fresh bid.

What People Are Saying

Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky first popularized the suggestion that Musk would make a good house speaker, writing on X: "The Speaker of the House need not be a member of Congress... Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk ... think about it ... nothing's impossible. (not to mention the joy at seeing the collective establishment, aka 'uniparty,' lose their ever-lovin' minds)"

Republican Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene also backed Musk, saying on X: "Would you support Elon Musk for Speaker of the House? The House controls policy and appropriations (spending) and can cut programs, departments, agencies, as well as make new laws like term limits and pass a balanced budget amendment. DOGE could become the legislative branch."

Former Democratic Ohio State Senator Nina Turner, who served as a Bernie Sanders national surrogate in 2016, wrote on X: "Putting the world's wealthiest man in charge of the people's house would be the definition of the swamp. You don't truly care about the swamp, you just want your own swamp."

Update, 12/21/24 at 9:35 a.m. ET: This story has been updated to correct a spelling error.

Update 1/3/25 11:15 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.