House Speaker Mike Johnson in Fort Wayne: “Congress is a tough job right now”
Plus a potential GOP challenger to Mayor Sharon Tucker in 2027
“You are the Winston Churchill of the 21st Century.”
That’s how longtime Allen County Republican Party chairman Steve Shine praised House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) earlier tonight at the local GOP’s annual Lincoln Day Dinner.
Shine’s comment was likely in reference to the contentious Ukrainian aid bill Johnson successfully brought to the House floor last Saturday in the face of heavy resistance from hard right Republicans like Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY).
Johnson was in Fort Wayne to deliver the keynote address at the GOP fundraiser, which was held at Ceruti’s Diamond Room in northwest Fort Wayne. Prior to that, he headlined a VIP reception in an adjacent building where he addressed a smaller crowd. In between, he spoke to assembled local media, including Fort Wayne Politics.
When asked about the recent spate of Republican resignations — four GOP House members have resigned in the past five months rather than finish out this year, including Mike Gallagher (R-WI) who left yesterday — Johnson said he understands why some people might want out.
“Congress is a tough job right now. We're in a divisive time in the country and a lot of these people feel like they just need a break probably.”
He acknowledged that the past few weeks have been wearing on him, too.
“I haven’t had a lot of fun lately. I’ll tell you, I really do regard my role right now as almost being sort of like a wartime speaker, and I don’t mean it flippantly. There’s serious challenges facing the country, and it requires [a] serious approach to the job.”
Johnson made headlines last Saturday when he successfully brought a series of bills to the floor of the House, including one that provides $60 billion in much-needed aid to Ukraine. The Eastern European country is in its third year of fending off an unprovoked invasion from its neighbor Russia.
The bill to support their fight passed by nearly 200 votes: 311 to 112. Every House Democrat voted in favor of it, while a majority of Republicans opposed it. Those against it included Congressman Jim Banks, who represents Northeast Indiana and was also in attendance tonight.
“The money that was allocated for Ukraine is for America’s interest” Johnson told the assembled media. “Eighty percent of the funding is for the replenishment of [America’s] own weapons and stocks and our own operations. And that’s a really important thing for us to do.”
Much of U.S. military aid to Ukraine comes in the form of weapons and other items that are near the end of their shelf life and would otherwise need to be replaced soon anyway. America sends those items to Ukraine and then pays its contractors to build new materials that replenish the United States military stockpile.
“That’s American jobs, building weapons here,” said Johnson.
The remaining 20% of the aid comes in the form of a loan. “It’s not just a blank check to a foreign country. We’re investing there,” said Johnson.
Former President Donald Trump had pushed for any Ukraine aid to be in the form of a loan. According to the text of the bill that passed, the U.S. president will have the authority to forgive those loans beginning in 2026.
“We cannot allow Vladimir Putin to march through Ukraine,” Johnson said. “[If we did] he would next be at the borders of NATO countries. And that's when you get American troops involved.”
Johnson did not bring up Ukraine or the aid package in his remarks to the crowd at the private VIP reception nor the larger group at the dinner itself.
Despite that, he told local media members he feels good about his decision to bring the aid bill to the floor for a successful vote.
“If it’s a choice between sending bullets to Ukraine or boys — American soldiers — I’m going to go with bullets every time.”
Lana Keesling for mayor?
Earlier this week, Democrat Sharon Tucker was sworn in as the new mayor of Fort Wayne, but some Republicans are already whispering about a potential GOP challenger when Tucker’s term is up.
City Clerk Lana Keesling was the highest vote getter in last November’s municipal election, outpacing Mayor Tom Henry by 1,252 votes. She’s also been rumored to be interested in a mayoral run in 2027.
A day after Tucker won the Democratic caucus to replace him, Keesling notably changed her campaign Facebook page from Lana Keesling for City Clerk to Lana Keesling for Fort Wayne.
She also paid for a full-page ad in the program for tonight’s Lincoln Day Dinner that promoted Lana Keesling for Fort Wayne, with no mention of her city clerk role. This was noticed by multiple dinner attendees I spoke with, who took it as a signal that she’s serious about gunning for the city’s top job.
In addition to Keesling, I’ve been told that Tom Didier, who fell short in his challenge to Henry by just 1,734 votes, is also weighing another mayoral bid in three years.
Notables at the Lincoln Day Dinner
Republican candidates for Governor
Republican candidates for U.S. House of Representatives (3rd District)
I didn’t think Shine could out-smarm himself, but time after time he delivers.
The Republican Party here seems like a country club set. Are there conservative groups of regular people that are interested in actively serving the community by modelling and teaching conservative values?