Patricia Lopez, Columnist

House GOP Resignations Send a Very Clear Message

Speaker Mike Johnson needs to build a new path with other conservatives and, yes, Democrats.

March 26, 2024 at 11:30 AM UTC

Patricia Lopez is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering politics and policy. She is a former member of the editorial board at the Minneapolis Star Tribune, where she also worked as a senior political editor and reporter.

It’s time for a new plan. — It’s time for a new plan.
Photographer: Alex Wong/Getty Images North America

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Wisconsin Representative Mike Gallagher’s abrupt resignation Friday, which followed that of Colorado Representative Ken Buck, narrows the paper-thin GOP House majority to a single vote.

That should be the final signal to House Speaker Mike Johnson that his power— and his only job protection— lies in bypassing the extremists in his party’s Freedom Caucus trying to control him. He should reach out to other conservatives — of which there are many — and yes, even Democrats.