Two Democrats Rescue Mike Johnson's Agenda in Rules Vote

Reps. Jared Golden and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez supplied votes to advance Speaker Mike Johnson's GOP-backed bills, stunning Democratic leaders.

Representatives Jared Golden of Maine and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, both Blue Dog Democrats, voted with most Republicans on Tuesday to advance a slate of GOP-backed bills, The New Republic reports. The two bridged the gap left by five Republicans who voted against the rule in protest of leaders' handling of an earlier government-spending vote. Without Golden and Gluesenkamp Perez, the rule would have failed and Speaker Mike Johnson's agenda for the week would have been dead on arrival.

The move defied a basic norm of House politics. Democratic Whip Katherine Clark told The Hill, per The New Republic, that 'one of the rules of being on a team, is that we vote against the rule' — members are generally expected to stick with their party on rules votes regardless of how they plan to vote on final passage. MS NOW's Way Too Early segment also flagged the defection as highly unconventional and a direct embarrassment to the caucus.

According to The New Republic, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies told reporters he 'didn't get a heads up' about the defections, and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that when she led the chamber, 'We didn't even consider that anybody would do that…. We never had that problem, so I'm disappointed that they did that.' Yahoo's coverage of the MS NOW report similarly described House Democratic leaders as blindsided by the two rank-and-file members' votes.

The rule teed up debate on bills with real consequences: a resolution condemning socialism ahead of the midterms, a measure to punish universities that speak out against the Israeli government, and changes to environmental protections for the North Atlantic right whale, The New Republic reports. Golden, who is not seeking reelection, reportedly supports the right-whale bill, which could shield Maine lobstermen from economic harm tied to fishing regulations — a key constituency in his state.

Clark told The Hill, according to The New Republic, that 'I'm sure we'll have further discussions,' signaling potential consequences or negotiation within the Democratic caucus. With Golden retiring and cross-party rules votes now exposed as a live risk for Johnson's narrow majority, both parties will be watching whether these Blue Dog defections become a pattern as the midterm season intensifies.