The House was expected to vote on the bill this week, but those plans were quickly scrapped after GOP leaders failed to whip enough support among the conference as rank-and-file members revolted over additional spending items that were tacked on to the must-pass bill. After a day of antagonism from Tesla CEO Elon Musk, President-elect Donald Trump publicly backed the revolt, effectively killing the CR.

Despite this, Trump has signaled hope that Johnson will retain his position. In an interview with Fox News, Trump said Johnson could “easily remain speaker” if he “acts decisively and tough” and eliminates “all of the traps being set by Democrats” in the spending bill. 

“Anybody that supports a bill that doesn’t take care of the Democrat quicksand known as the debt ceiling should be primaried and disposed of as quickly as possible,” he added.

Despite the backing from Trump, a shutdown days before Christmas, or even the threat of one, might be severe enough to make disgruntled Republicans make good on their threats to take away Johnson’s gavel next year.

Here are three candidates who have been floated as a possible replacement:

Tom Emmer

One House Republican told the Washington Examiner that House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) is the most likely replacement for Johnson if House Republicans decide they need new leadership.

Emmer is among the most experienced leaders of the House Republicans, having led the National Republican Congressional Committee from 2019 to 2023 before being elected Republican whip in 2022.

Emmer raised $34 million during the 2024 cycle, a 325% increase from the $8 million he raised as the head of the NRCC during the 2022 cycle. Of that haul, Emmer transferred more than $14 million directly to the NRCC, GOP candidates, and incumbents. His efforts helped retain the Republican House majority, leading to a Republican trifecta on Jan. 20.

Despite backing from many within the party, the biggest obstacle to Emmer’s bid is the head of the Republican Party — Trump. Emmer was the third candidate in the October 2023 speakership race that elected Johnson, but his candidacy ended after Trump came out heavily against him, deriding him on Truth Social as “totally out-of-touch with Republican Voters” and a “Globalist RINO.”

He then called different House Republicans to ensure the end of his candidacy, later taking credit for “killing” his bid. A similar sequence of events would likely occur if Emmer tried again for the speakership.

Emmer came in last in an X poll from Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) regarding who should be the speaker.

Byron Donalds

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) was floated by the House Republican as the second most likely House speaker replacement.

Donalds enjoys the support of much of the MAGA base, having been seen as a possible running mate for Trump during the vice presidential sweepstakes. Donalds came in first in the Ogles X poll as to who could be the next speaker.

A bid from the Florida Republican might enjoy the backing of Trump, as the two have emerged as close allies. He has thrown his support behind Trump’s Cabinet picks, rebuking MSNBC panelist Al Sharpton for suggesting it was lacking diversity.

“That being said, Donald Trump’s Cabinet is about people who are going to implement his agenda, and he’s not done, by the way,” Donalds said on CNN’s Laura Coates Live last month. “You have Susie Wiles, the first woman ever to serve as chief of staff. You have Marco Rubio, a Cuban American who’s going to serve as secretary of state, representing America across the globe when it comes to foreign policy. You have Tulsi Gabbard going to be at DNI. So many others that are coming, and there are still slots to be filled, so I think everybody needs to pump the brakes and just wait and see what happens.”

He unsuccessfully ran in the House speakership race in October 2023, losing out to Johnson.

Jim Jordan

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) was floated as the third most likely candidate by the House Republican, a consistent favorite among the conservative wing of the party.

Jordan, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, was a leading figure in pursuing an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. He unsuccessfully ran for the speakership in October 2023, losing to Johnson.

Jordan has already laid out his vision for what the next Congress should focus on.

“We need 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 in an appearance on One Nation with Brian Kilmeade last month. “Then continue our work in making sure Americans’ freedoms, free speech rights, their Second Amendment rights, their First Amendment liberties, their Fourth Amendment liberties, make sure those are protected.”

Jordan is a major ally of Trump, possibly winning the president-elect’s backing if Johnson is ousted.