May 8 (UPI) — House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., survived a motion to vacate filed by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., by a 359-43-7 floor vote Wednesday.
The final vote effectively quashed Greene’s motion to vacate by tabling it and was widely anticipated as majorities of House Republicans and Democrats opposed the effort to remove Johnson as House Speaker.
“Hopefully, this is the end of the personality politics and the frivolous character assassination that has defined the 118th Congress,” Johnson said after surviving Greene’s ouster motion, Politico reported.
Greene and 10 other House Republicans voted against tabling her motion for Johnson to vacate the speaker position, as did 32 House Democrats.
“The motion to vacate attempt was only a headline-grabbing, petty political stunt to distract from our duties and raise money,” Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., posted on X. “I’m glad rationality overwhelmingly prevailed.”
Former President Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee for president, in a Truth Social post complimented Greene for having “spirit” but said “Republicans have to be fighting the radical-left Democrats and all the damage they have done to our country,” The Hill reported.
Trump said now is the time for Republicans to show unity with the general election just six months away, and Trump leading President Joe Biden in several swing-state polls as well as nationally.
With Greene’s motion tabled, it would take a majority in the House to vote to return it to the floor for consideration.
Tabling Greene’s motion enabled Johnson to survive a similar fate suffered by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who last year was removed as Speaker when a motion to vacate filed by Rep. Matt Gaetz was approved.
McCarthy resigned from the House of Representatives on Dec. 31.
Greene and Gaetz are members of the GOP House Freedom Caucus and said McCarthy and Johnson were not doing enough to advance conservative causes and viewpoints while working with Democrats to get legislation approved.