Mike Johnson's speakership marks a new phase in the white evangelical-GOP alliance
The ascension of Mike Johnson to the post of speaker of the House marks the latest and perhaps the most consequential event to date in the alliance of white evangelical Christians with the Republican Party.
It also adds a chapter to the alliance of evangelicals and former President Donald Trump. If there were many in the Capitol and in the country surprised to see the little-known Johnson as speaker, they share that amazement with those who could not imagine Trump in the White House.
Beyond that, there is the eye-opening fact that these utterly different personalities — and the conservative Christian movement itself — all owe their current status and power to their cooperation with each other.
How Johnson came to be speaker
Those in conservative circles are still debating Trump's role in the rebellion that ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy inAs president he had a relationship with McCarthy, even calling him "my Kevin" at times. This year he was not pleased to see McCarthy strike a deal with Democrats on the debt ceiling in the spring and again on the government shutdown deadline this fall. But the anger that boiled over and forced McCarthy out came from within his own ranks of House members.
