Mike Johnson: A Fresh Face for the Religious Right

Rep. Mike Johnson's career trajectory reflects the changing dynamics of the religious right during the Donald Trump era. In his early years in politics, the newly elected House speaker strongly opposed both legal abortion and increased legal rights for the LGBTQ community. These positions aligned with the prevailing concerns of religious conservatives during the 1980s up until the presidency of Barack Obama.

Johnson has recently embraced the key priorities of Trump's MAGA movement, including his view on illegal immigration as "the true existential" threat to America's future. He has also led efforts in Congress to overturn the results of the 2020 election, claiming there were "credible allegations of fraud and irregularity." In his own journey, the Louisiana Republican represents the merging of different generations of public priorities within the conservative evangelical Christian movement. While he initially focused on issues related to sexuality, Johnson now strongly identifies with the Trump movement's hostility towards demographic and racial change, which has garnered significant support from religious conservatives.

Mike Johnson addresses the House chamber in the US Capitol in Washington, DC, after his election as speaker on October 25, 2023.

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Mike Johnson is well within the mainstream of todays GOP

Multiple polls indicate that White evangelicals and other Republican voters who hold conservative views on sexuality, gender roles, immigration, and racial equity are unified in their resistance to the changes reshaping 21st century America. This collective opposition has emerged as the dominant force that binds the modern GOP coalition, as evidenced by Trump's strong lead in the 2024 GOP presidential race and Johnson's swift ascent to the speakership in his fourth term in Congress.

Johnson's ascent offers a clearer glimpse into the religious origins of this shift compared to Trump's rise. While Trump, a twice-divorced New Yorker with a controversial past, has never been an expected advocate for religious conservatives who aim to impose their moral standards on public policy, Johnson, an evangelical himself, has consistently fought for conservative cultural causes throughout his career. He has aligned closely with extremist Christian nationalists who strive to dismantle the separation of church and state. Johnson firmly believes that "the founders aimed to safeguard the church from an encroaching state, not the other way around." His elevation to a position of leadership emphasizes the connection within the Trump-era GOP between opposition to social and cultural change and the notion that the country should function explicitly as a Christian nation.

The latest American Values Survey, conducted by the non-partisan Public Religion Research Institute, revealed that a majority (52%) of Republican voters believe that America was intended by God to be a new promised land for European Christians to establish a model society. In contrast, only about 20% of Democrats and 30% of independents agreed with this statement. Notably, more than half of White evangelicals also supported this idea, making it the only major religious group with majority support. According to Robert P. Jones, president and founder of the PRRI, the concern that America is moving away from its Christian roots serves as a common thread linking worries about issues such as sexual behavior and gender roles, which were central to the first generation of religious right leaders, to the more explicit focus on racial and demographic changes during the Trump era.

In Washington, DC, on October 25, 2023, newly elected Representative Mike Johnson (R-LA) delivers a speech in the House chamber following his election as the Speaker of the House. This follows a contentious nomination process, spanning three weeks and involving four candidates. Johnson has been chosen to succeed former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who was removed from office on October 4, in a move initiated by a small group of conservative members from his own party. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

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Parties race to define little-known Speaker Johnson ahead of 2024 fight for House majority

Johnson's adoption of MAGA themes, despite previously condemning abortion and same-sex marriage, serves as a prime example of the amalgamation discussed by Jones in his book "The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy."

According to the PRRIs surveys, White Christians, who previously made up the majority of the US population, now account for just over two-fifths of the total population. Among them, White evangelicals make up about one-in-seven. However, these groups hold a significant amount of influence within the GOP coalition. Evangelicals make up almost one-third of Republican voters, while all White Christians comprise about two-thirds. Mike Podhorzer, a former political director of the AFL-CIO, recently pointed out that 70% of House Republicans represent districts with a high concentration of White evangelical residents, despite this group only making up less than 15% of the US population. Podhorzer noted that this means a minority group has control over the majority party in the House of Representatives.

As Jones explains, racial issues played a significant role in the formation of the Christian Right. While it is commonly believed that the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion nationwide was the catalyst for the emergence of the religious right in the 1970s, its roots can actually be traced back to opposition against the Jimmy Carter administration's attempts to revoke the tax-exempt status of racially segregated religious schools.

Over the following decades, however, religious right figures like Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and James Dobson gave greater prominence to matters pertaining to shifting sexual norms rather than those related to race or identity. According to Jones and other scholars, this began to change earlier in this century with the simultaneous impact of a more diverse population and the historic election of Barack Obama, the first Black president.

U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) provided a brief statement to reporters concerning the mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine. This statement was made after a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the U.S. Capitol on October 26, 2023, in Washington, DC. Albanese had recently visited the White House for an official state visit and attended a state dinner. The accompanying photo was taken by Drew Angerer/Getty Images.

The focus is on House Speaker Mike Johnson and his requests for government funding. It is not their introduction of a novel combination of sexual and racial issues that makes Republican leaders such as Trump and Johnson novel, according to Jones. Instead, it is their readiness to openly express the previously hidden key element in that equation.

During the early 2000s, Johnson served as an attorney for the Dobson-linked conservative Christian advocacy group, the Alliance Defense Fund (now known as Alliance Defending Freedom). He vigorously advocated for the change of sexual attitudes that were prevalent among the first generation of religious rights activists.

In addition to opposing same-sex marriage, as was common among conservatives during that time, Johnson also supported the criminalization of gay and lesbian sexual relationships. As recently reported by CNN's KFile, he expressed the belief that "States have many legitimate grounds to proscribe same-sex deviate sexual intercourse." Even for that era, Johnson's condemnations were particularly strong, as he characterized same-sex relations as "inherently unnatural" and a "dangerous lifestyle." KFile also discovered that he referred to gay people as "a deviant group."

Johnson, an elected official, has mostly chosen his words carefully, but he has not shown any signs of deviating from his beliefs. During his time as a Louisiana state legislator, he put forward a bill in 2015. This bill aimed to prevent the state from imposing any penalties, such as losing a professional license, on individuals who discriminate against LGBTQ individuals. In the House of Representatives, he introduced a bill that seeks to extend the ban on discussing sexual orientation and gender identity in early public school grades, an action taken by the state of Florida under Governor Ron DeSantis, to the entire nation. It's important to note that Johnson's bill would also have an impact on public libraries and museums.

Additionally, Johnson has joined forces with Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor to support a nationwide extension of the ban on gender-affirming care for minors. This legislation, which several Republican-controlled states have also approved, has been co-sponsored by Johnson. During a hearing on the matter earlier this summer, Johnson expressed deep concern about the increasing number of young people who identify as LGBTQ based on recent surveys. He alleged that this trend was deliberately being encouraged through various means, including surgical procedures and social pressure exerted by teachers, professors, administrators, and left-wing media. In Johnson's view, these actions represent an effort to lead the youth of our country towards adopting such identities.

Nor has Johnson wavered in his stance against abortion. He has actively supported the "Life at Conception Act," a proposed legislation that aims to recognize the fetus as a person protected by the 14th amendment and establish a legal framework to outlaw abortion nationwide. Johnson's unwavering dedication to anti-abortion causes is evident in his consistently high rating of "A+" from groups against legal abortion, contrasting with a zero rating from supportive organizations.

Rep. Mike Johnson addresses reporters prior to a House Republican candidates forum, during which congressional members vying for the Speaker of the House position will share their agendas. The event takes place at the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on October 24. Photo credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images.

The newly appointed Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, previously expressed his support for the criminalization of same-sex relationships. However, in his role in Congress, Johnson has displayed a stronger inclination towards the Republican Party's post-Trump initiatives, particularly those related to demographic changes. He has highlighted illegal immigration as "the real and imminent danger to our nation" and emphasizes that a secure border is essential for national sovereignty and the existence of our country.

Johnson, a constitutional lawyer, has gained attention for his endorsement of a particular version of the xenophobic and racist Great Replacement Theory, which originated in far-right White nationalist circles. This theory argues that Democrats and liberals are purposely bringing in undocumented immigrants in order to "replace" and weaken the White majority's political influence. While Johnson has not explicitly framed this issue in racial terms, he has consistently referred to illegal immigration as "an invasion" and maintained that Democrats are enabling it for their own partisan advantage. In an interview on Newsmax earlier this year, Johnson stated, "The Biden administration has intentionally done this. For what reason? Everybody asks me all the time. I believe that ultimately they hope to turn all these illegal immigrants into voters for their side."

Additionally, Johnson played a significant role in rallying House Republicans to support Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election. These efforts were closely tied to conservative concerns about racial changes as well. The claims of fraud made by the GOP, as I previously mentioned, focused on the belief that Democrats were stealing votes in densely populated minority cities rather than in the predominantly White suburban areas where Trump's support declined the most between 2016 and 2020. Although Johnson did not make the most extreme fraud claims, he echoed some of Trump's key assertions that the election was "rigged" against the former president. Furthermore, Johnson provided the intellectual and legal arguments that formed the basis of House Republican initiatives to reject the election results.

Johnson embodies the heart of the modern GOP coalition, as evidenced by the convergence of these perspectives. According to unpublished findings from PRRI's latest annual survey shared with CNN, the same voters who express unease about societal shifts also harbor the greatest discomfort regarding demographic changes.

PRRI's research reveals that approximately two-thirds of Republicans and evangelical Christians who endorse a ban on abortion also agree with a divisive statement reminiscent of the "great replacement theory." This statement suggests that immigrants are invading the country and displacing our cultural and ethnic heritage. Similarly, more than four-fifths of Republicans and evangelicals who oppose legal abortion expressed support for physical barriers, such as razor wire, along the US-Mexico border to deter illegal immigration, even at the potential cost of lives. In contrast, among Americans who hold liberal views on abortion and same-sex marriage, there is significantly less endorsement of these ideas.

Tresa Undem, a pollster for progressive groups, has discovered similar patterns in several national surveys examining attitudes towards race, gender, and social change. In a recent national poll, her firm found that a vast majority of Republicans who oppose same-sex marriage and legal abortion also believe that illegal immigration is a significant issue. Furthermore, they share the belief that discrimination against Whites is equally as prevalent as discrimination against minorities and that society today unfairly punishes men for simply behaving like men. A similar trend was observed among White evangelical Christians, as nearly all of those who oppose legal abortion or same-sex marriage also support the construction of a wall at the US-Mexico border.

According to Undem, these viewpoints represent a contemporary manifestation of a long-standing resistance in American history against movements that challenge the dominant societal position of White men, particularly Christian White men. She argues that it is an ongoing and historical force aimed at preserving White supremacy and patriarchy. Whether it is issues such as Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, transgender rights, voting rights, abolishing slavery, legislation against lynching, women's bodily autonomy, or demographic shifts, this force acts as a metaphorical hammer to suppress these challenges.

The rise of exclusionary immigration policies among evangelicals in recent years represents a notable and illuminating shift in their political stance. In the past, a significant portion of evangelical leaders backed comprehensive immigration reform, including a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, under the administrations of both Republican President George W. Bush and Democrat President Obama.

Pete Wehner, former top White House adviser to Bush, stated that during that time, even socially conservative evangelical leaders were supportive of a more welcoming approach towards immigrants. "There was a definite openness to immigration reform that is lacking today," said Wehner, who is currently a senior fellow at the Trinity Forum. "For many Christians involved in politics, this support was guided by a biblical interpretation of embracing the stranger and the marginalized."

To Wehner, Jones, and other analysts, the widespread opposition to immigration reform among religious conservatives reflects their growing concern about the changing face of America. From the beginning, Trump has built his political image on the notion that Democrats and other liberals are erasing the nation's historic traditions, reshaping it into something unrecognizable. Johnson also shares this belief, merging social conservative values from the early 2000s with the anti-immigrant focus of the Trump era.

The fear of "losing" America is most deeply entrenched in the religious conservative movement, particularly among those who view the US as a Christian nation and actively work to dismantle the traditional separation of church and state. NBC News recently reported that Johnson spoke at a conference hosted by David Barton, a self-proclaimed historian who is a prominent figure in this movement. Despite being criticized by numerous professional historians, Barton has long argued that the founders did not intend for a separation between church and state. Johnson praised Barton's work at the conference, stating that it profoundly influenced him in all aspects of his life and work. (CNN has attempted to obtain a comment from Johnson's office regarding his current relationship with Barton but has not received a response by the deadline.)

According to Wehner, religious conservative circles that believe "America was founded as an explicitly Christian nation" were the environment in which Johnson operated. He points out that these circles have responded with strong emotions to the intensified aggression and apocalyptic framing of Republican politics during the Trump era. Wehner emphasizes that the most significant change in the political involvement of religious conservatives in recent decades lies not in the policy agenda, although that has been important, but in their temperament and sensibility. Comparing the Christian engagement in politics today to a generation ago, or even 15 years ago, he observes a greater presence of ferocity, cruelty, and dishonesty.

Wehner acknowledges that these elements existed before, citing examples like Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and the Moral Majority. However, he notes that these characteristics are now more prominent, and religious conservatives have embraced the Trump ethic.

Johnson and Trump have contrasting personalities - Johnson is mild-mannered while Trump is bombastic. However, both share a similar commitment to prioritizing the moral and political preferences of conservative White Christians above other groups. In a recent podcast following Johnson's promotion, Barton and two colleagues advised their listeners not to be misled by Johnson's soft-spoken nature.