Republican US House Speaker Johnson likely couldn't reprise Trump election fight, analysts say

The new Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, is a conservative Republican. He, along with many other Republicans, voted against things like abortion and same-sex marriage. But what's been getting a lot of attention is his attempt to change the results of the 2020 election that Donald Trump lost.

As the Speaker of the House, Johnson has a lot of power in making decisions and working with President Joe Biden and Senate Leader Chuck Schumer to pass laws. However, there's something important to know: because of a law passed after the chaos on January 6, 2021, Johnson can't do much to interfere with the 2024 presidential election unless he goes against the law.

Since becoming Speaker, Johnson hasn't said much about his work with former President Trump after the 2020 election. He also hasn't said if he thinks President Biden won the election fairly. He and many other lawmakers opposed a law called the Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022, which makes it harder for lawmakers to challenge election results.

This new law says that one-fifth of the House and Senate must agree to look into any challenges to a state's election results. Before this, just one lawmaker from each chamber could do it.

Experts think this law is a good thing and should be followed. It's there to prevent any more chaos like what happened on January 6, 2021.

Some people don't like Johnson because of his legal work before he was elected to Congress. He defended his state's ban on same-sex marriage in the past, and he fought against laws that criminalized gay sex. He also voted against laws that would make abortion legal across the country and protect same-sex marriage if the Supreme Court changed its mind.

After Trump lost the election, Johnson and 125 other House Republicans tried to get the Supreme Court to reject the results from some states. They said these states changed their election rules unfairly because of the COVID-19 pandemic, making the results invalid. But the Supreme Court didn't agree with them.

Even though he tried to change the election results, Johnson doesn't have much power in this process. The Speaker's role in the Electoral College process is very limited. He might have a bit more say in 2025 if Republicans still control the House and keep him as Speaker. But even then, he can't do much to change the outcome of the presidential election. It's mostly a ceremonial role.

So, the Speaker can't change election results by himself, and the law makes it harder for anyone to do so. We'll have to wait and see how things go in the future.