Mitt Romney Says Democrats Could Save Speaker Johnson from His Own Party: ‘They’d Give Him Support’

AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) predicted Friday afternoon that House Democrats could step in to save Speaker Mike Johnson if he is in danger of not being reelected to his position in the next Congress come January.

Speculation about Johnson’s future swirled Friday as the House prepared to vote for a third time to pass a bill to fund the federal government. Johnson’s initial 1,500-page bipartisan bill to keep the lights on until March 14 was torpedoed by President-elect Donald Trump.

A second bill written by Republicans also failed to pass. A third bill to avert a shutdown passed on Friday night, but Johnson’s future remains in doubt.

The political crisis led to speculation Johnson could face the same fate as former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. McCarthy lost the gavel in a historic move last October after eight House Republicans sided with Democrats on a motion to vacate filed by former Republican congressman Matt Gaetz.

In a comment obtained by HuffPost senior politics reporter Igor Bobic, Romney said Friday he believed if Johnson faced an effort from within his own party to remove him, Democrats would intervene.

“There may be an effort to blow everything up but I don’t think — I think the Democrats are smarter than that,” the Utah Republican said. “They’d give him support.”

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) – Utah’s other Republican senator – told Fox News on Thursday night he believed Johnson was doomed.

“I don’t think the speaker is going to remain in power,” Lee told network host Jesse Watters.

Steve Bannon was among a growing chorus of hardline conservatives who called for an effort to remove Johnson on Friday.

At a Turning Point USA conference, Bannon took to the stage and asked, “Clearly, Johnson’s not up to the task, and he’s gotta go, right?”

Bannon added, “He’s gotta go!” before he asked a crowd, “Should Johnson be speaker of the House?”

Many of those at the event shouted, “No!”