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How Speaker Johnson Is Navigating a Restive House Republican Conference

‘I think he has handled the day-to-day, the tense, difficult, and sometimes unpredictable environment in a very good, metered way,’ one lawmaker says.

WASHINGTON—TonyPerkins,presidentoftheFamilyResearchCouncil,firstmetayoungMikeJohnson“waybackwhen”intheirhomestateofLouisiana.HehelpedMr.Johnsongainhisfootingasanattorneyandsaidhestilltalksregularlywiththenow-speakeroftheHouse. “HejokesthatwhenIwasinoffice,heusedtocarrymybriefcase.Ican’tvouchforthat,butI’lltakehimathisword,”Mr.PerkinstoldTheEpochTimeswithachuckle,referringtohisyearsasaBayouStateRepublicanlegislator,startingin1994. ItwasinthestatelegislaturethatMr.Perkinssaidhefirstlearnedthatachievingfundamentalpublicpolicychangesalmostalways“takesyearsandyearsofincrementalgains.” Pro-lifeadvocates,forexample,spentdecadesworkingtoreversetheSupremeCourt’s1973Roev.Wadedecisionthatpushedabortionregulationbacktothestates. Earlyinhislegislativecareer,Mr.Perkinswonpassageofoneofthefirststateabortionclinicregulationactsinthecountry.