Tennessee airline passengers, hospitals, businesses, state government services and even some politicians were swept up Friday by the worldwide tech outage caused by faulty CloudStrike software fix on Microsoft operating systems.
State officials issued a statement saying: “Similar to many other organizations around the globe, the Tennessee state government utilizes a third-party company called CrowdStrike for cybersecurity monitoring. We were negatively impacted by an update that was pushed to all CrowdStrike customers last evening.”
“Due to the global technology outage, local Driver Services Centers may be unable to process transactions,” the state Department of Safety and Homeland Security posted, adding: “We apologize for the inconvenience the outage has caused.”
The effects were far-reaching.
“You can’t even turn on your computer,” said one state worker.
While Nashville Electric Services said the outage had not impacted “system operations or electricity reliability,” consumer-facing services were affected.
“We are experiencing some issues within our customer service and administrative systems, including some incoming customer calls,” the utility said. “We appreciate your patience as we work to restore these functions.”
There was no mention of issues on the Nashville International AIrport website, though several airlines have experienced a massive disruption in flights around the country.
Journalist Matt Laslo posted on social media that Republican U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann of Ooltewah, who was attempting to leave the just-ended National Republican Convention, told him his “Delta flight was canceled — ‘it is no more’ — and he can’t rebook a flight back to Tennessee or get a rental car anywhere.”
“So the congressman, his wife and some others are splitting a taxi home from the #RNC2024 in Milwaukee for $2,900.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett, a Knoxville Republican, posted that “if you think all this is a coincidence,” leaving his eight-word comment at that and adding no more.
It wasn’t clear whether Burchett was referring to the CloudStrike meltdown or other issues. But on social media, it quickly became a type of political Rorschach test. There were more than one hundred posts on issues ranging from the attempted assassination of Donald Trump to UAPs, the latter being Unidentified Aerial Phenomena — an issue Burchett has sought to investigate.
“That UAP journey has given you insight into how deep things run,” one poster wrote with Burchett becoming nationally known for pressing for a full-fledged investigation and release of secret government files of what he is convinced have been alien visitors to the planet.
Editor’s note: LaPolitics/State AffairsManaging Editor Jeremy Alford was one of a number of our journalists who covered the Republican National Convention this week for State Affairs. Below is a glimpse into the consistently hectic, rarely unscheduled and quietly ambitious political life of Mike Johnson, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
MILWAUKEE — The man who is second in line to be president hasn’t slept much in the past three days. Being chairman of the Republican National Convention means late-night floor sessions and seemingly endless interviews on behalf of the nominee. To the envy of every politician in downtown Milwaukee, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson has also arguably enjoyed more screen time than anyone else lucky enough to bump into a microphone.
Following an interview with Politico and before another with Fox Business host Larry Kudlow, Johnson sat down with State Affairs Thursday afternoon to field seven questions. He weighed in on the top of the GOP ticket, his convention speech that’s serving as the basis for a new book and what another Trump administration might mean for both the Lower Chamber and his own political fate.
Tucked away in the Fiserv Forum, where the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks play, is Johnson’s personal convention office. The space is located outside the convention floor and inside the House Cloakroom, which is really just the Jockey Club, an upscale lounge for sports enthusiasts that overlooks Deer District Plaza.
Vinyl House Cloakroom signs have been applied to most of the Jockey Club signs — much in the way Johnson’s Louisiana congressional delegation takes over the Washington Hilton each January for Washington Mardi Gras, temporarily rebranding McClellan’s Sports Bar as “The 65th Parish,” signage and all. (Louisiana is home to parishes, rather than counties, and there are 64 of them. Sixty-five, unofficially, when you tally the centerpiece bar at the Washington Hilton.)
On this fourth and final day of the GOP convention, the House Cloakroom provides a panoramic view of the politics invading Deer District Plaza. The expansive village green resembles an ant farm, with reporters asking delegates which speakers they want to hear most, podcasters bellowing about the decline of Western civilization, and delegates in funny hats and suited staffers sweating.
Watching Johnson cross the plaza is a reminder of his newfound status among national Republicans. Elected in October 2023, the speaker makes his way slowly, surrounded by his security detail, which is supposed to help thin the throng around him. But delegates and convention-goers either refuse to move or are unaware they’re holding up a well-armed entourage.
The same crowd that booed former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on the convention floor (twice) for not being a better ally to former President Donald Trump seems unfazed by Johnson’s own rocky path to power. Many predicted Johnson wouldn’t last this long holding the Big Gavel, given the slim margin of his victory, an attempt to oust him this past spring and the general unpredictability and divisiveness of the People’s House.
Still, to those who lived it, all of the Hill-anchored drama seems like a political lifetime ago. Back in his makeshift Milwaukee office, Johnson is listening to a pair of staffers fire off details about the next 30 minutes of his schedule. Or rather, he’s trying to hear them. Both. At the same time. That’s because the convention’s loudspeaker system is being pumped into the House Cloakroom’s small business office.
Johnson is, after all, the convention chairman. His ears are always on.
“Are we going to listen to Kid Rock while we’re doing this?” Johnson asks his staff with a laugh, referencing the convention’s music choice of the moment.
Just a minute or two prior, Johnson had mentioned the possibility of Kid Rock’s appearance that evening, adding a bit of Detroit flair to the final night’s Trumptastic crescendo. Johnson, a former state legislator who made his bones as an attorney focusing on the First Amendment principles of religious independence and free speech, couldn’t help but smile about Kid Rock’s visit.
This is the same speaker who aids his state delegation in the annual act of overtaking a bar like a band of Mardi Gras pirates. As a Louisiana politician, he understands the duality of late-night networking and making church on Sunday mornings. He’s quick with hugs and anecdotes, welcoming of selfies and liked among his Democratic and Republican colleagues in Louisiana and Washington for his sharp sense of humor and almost pathological obsession with rules, bylaws and manuals.
Knowing this interview was being recorded, Johnson asked, “Let’s see if a table outside is quieter.”
It wasn’t.
“It’s louder,” the speaker said, still laughing as the sounds of Kid Rock were amplified. “How is that possible?”
At this point, Johnson was holding hands with his wife, Kelly, a former teacher and pastoral counselor, as he made his way around a corner of the House Cloakroom. A staffer followed, as did the speaker’s security detail.
Finally, Johnson found a quiet hallway with small tables for two, complete with ornamental lamps. Over his shoulder a large, muted TV broadcast a live Fox News interview with Donald Trump Jr. The speaker pulled up a chair for his wife, asking her to stay. He blinked in a way that suggested he wished for rest. Kid Rock could barely be heard.
Adjusting his eyeglasses, he began explaining the inspiration behind his convention speech, which was a topic of conversation upon arrival at his temporary office.
Q. Hold that thought for a second or so. We want to ask you about that speech and also want to know if you would be open to a position in a Trump White House. Some delegates are already saying you look and sound like a shortlist contender for attorney general.
A. Speaker Johnson: I want to be of my highest and best use for this moment and this opportunity we have as a nation. I think the role of speaker of the House is so important to the legislative agenda before us. And what we’re doing now is very methodically planning an aggressive agenda for the new Congress, for the first 100 days and beyond. Because we’re anticipating we’ll have a unified government. So as the architect of the playbook, it will be really necessary to implement the plays and have continuity of leadership. Look, I’ll serve my country in any way I’m called, but I feel excited about the opportunities that are ahead of us. I have a very important role to play in that, in the role I have now.
Q. You’ve called for a far-reaching investigation into the shooting of former President Donald Trump. What is your anticipated endgame? Do you want more than findings from the new task force and House Oversight Committee? Recommendations? Other actions?
A. We need accountability. We need to ensure this never, ever happens again. I called for the resignation of [U.S. Secret Service] Director [Kimberly] Cheatle and she shows no signs of taking that course. So I called the White House this morning and said they need to fire her. Joe Biden needs to take decisive action. What we know already is completely inexcusable and dangerous. Accountability begins at the top. I told the White House, his right-hand man, Steve Ricchetti, “This can be an actual moment of leadership for the president, politically. This is low-hanging fruit. Show some initiative, for goodness’ sake. But they won’t, of course.
Q. The party has a vice presidential candidate in Ohio Sen. JD Vance, who at times hasn’t always been a friendly voice for his running mate. Do you get the sense that’s water under the bridge?
A. It is, yeah. I spent time with JD yesterday. We’re becoming fast friends. I have high regard for his intellect, although we have slightly different perspectives about policy issues. But we both agree that’s really healthy for the party. We’re looking forward to leading together. I talked with him for about a half-hour yesterday, just he and I. And we talked about this aggressive agenda for the new Congress and how important it will be for the vice president to be fully engaged in that. We haven’t had a fully engaged vice president in some time. To have him fresh out of the Senate, to know how it works, could be a great benefit to the president.
Q. Your RNC speech about the seven principles of modern conservatism resonated with many delegates. We’ve heard quite a bit of feedback. You created that list years ago, though. What made you bring it back out for that speech, and what originally inspired the list?
A. I was elected to chairman of the Republican Study Committee in 2019. It’s the largest caucus in Congress, the biggest caucus of conservatives. I was just going into my second term, so that was unusual. I mentioned to my colleagues we’re in an unprecedented moment. At the time, in 2019, there was a turbulence in the party and the country — lots of things were being shifted around — and people were losing sight of what it means to be a conservative. What does it mean? As a positive to my colleagues, we had 153 members in the RSC at the time. One day I asked members, “If you were in an elevator downtown today and you had an opportunity with a millennial who had the wrong worldview, what would you say to them to convince them your worldview is preferable? What does it mean to be conservative? If they have a shirt that says, ‘Proud Progressive,’ what do you say?” I think if we created a task force, it would produce a list that looks like this. If you had to condense a library of conservative thought and writing from the founders, from the very beginning, the works that inspired the party platform for the last several decades, and nail it down to one page, what would it be? This is what I think it would be. This is the essence. But really, the core principles of the country itself right now involve speaking with clarity, conviction and consistency more than we ever have. We all need that. I feel more deeply burdened about that today than I did back then.
Q. You mentioned earlier this is the inspiration for a new book. What can you tell us about that? How far are you into the project?
A. It’s almost finished. I was going to try to get it out before the vote, but I don’t think that’s going to happen now. It’s very simple. I’ve been making the case for these seven core principles around the country, Jeremy. I’ve done events in 144 cities in 31 states now. Everywhere I go when I reference this, it resonates deeply. It’s as if people need it. When I’m out and around the country, I have to specify that I’m from Louisiana and I speak in football and hurricane metaphors. Everything to us is one of those. A hurricane metaphor is uncharted waters in choppy seas. There are dark skies on the horizon, right? It’s coming up from the ocean. But the thing is, you have to know where the fixed points are on the horizon. [Late President Ronald] Reagan said in his farewell address, “They called me the Great Communicator. But I really wasn’t. I was just communicating great things. The same great things that have guided our nation since its founding.” That’s the essence of great things. I suggest we’re the stewards of those great things today. We need to know what we believe if we’re going to evangelize and bring people along. People want to know what we’re for, not just what we’re against. That’s going to be central to us moving forward.
Q. What does your travel and fundraising schedule look like this fall in terms of your plans to help incumbents and GOP congressional candidates?
A. It’s endless. I’m trying to be in my district as much as possible. The speaker is also requested to be in every district. So it’s everywhere around the country. It’s a tireless schedule. But we’ve put a slot on the schedule for one, single nap the day after Christmas. I’ll sleep in late December. Between now and then, we’re not stopping.
Q. We’ve got two more questions —
The staffer recording this interview politely made his presence known.
“We have to go. … We have to go, unfortunately,” the staffer said.
Johnson looked up, asking, “What time is Kudlow?”
“Three. Hard. Live. I’m sorry.”
“Live?” the speaker inquired.
“Yes, sir.”
Before standing, Johnson offered to finish our interview by phone. Upon learning the two remaining questions could be condensed into one, he rose to his feet. Someone suggested he could walk and talk.
“Let’s do it,” Johnson said.
The fellowship followed as the speaker slowly made his way to a nearby set of elevators. At what seemed like every corner, he turned to look for his wife, placing his hand in hers or on her back. Despite the convention’s long hours, the sometimes-toxic political environment and the haters who hate everything on social media, there were smiles all around.
Q. A little over two months have passed since a small group of Republican members endeavored to have you removed. As you reflect on that now, where does your mind go?
A. I never skipped a beat. I never looked back. (Where are we going? Who are we following again? This way? Oh. OK!) It’s part of the process. We had the smallest margin in U.S. history. [Former U.S. House Speaker] Newt Gingrich wrote an op-ed for The Washington Times eight weeks ago and said, “Johnson has the most challenging speakership since the Civil War about 160 years ago.” And he made the point that before he became speaker he had 16 years to build a platform and leadership team and structure and fundraising. He said, “Johnson had 15 minutes.” But I had a one-vote margin, you know? That’s behind us. We went through a valley. I kept telling the team to stick together and it’ll be brighter on the other side. I think we’re here now.
ABOUT MIKE JOHNSON
Title: 56th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (Republican); represents Louisiana’s 4th Congressional District
Residence: Bossier Parish
Age: 52
Education: Undergraduate degree in business administration from Louisiana State University; juris doctorate from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University
Occupations: Small-business owner, attorney practicing constitutional law
Hobbies and interests: Johnson has been a conservative talk radio host, columnist, college professor and spokesman for national religious liberty organizations. He has also provided legal counsel for national organizations and community groups and ministries.
Family: Married to Kelly since 1999. They have five children — Hannah, Abigail, Jack, Will and Michael.
Jeremy Alford is managing editor of LaPolitics/State Affairs. Find Jeremy on X or at [email protected].
Kansas voters have plenty of options to weigh as in-person advance voting gets underway for the upcoming Aug. 6 primary election.
“There are a significant number of primaries on the ballot this year,” said Shawnee County Election Commissioner Andrew Howell.
In-person advance voting kicked off in some locations throughout the state on Wednesday. But for others, like Shawnee County, it won’t take place until July 22.
“Kansans are already exercising their constitutional right and voting in the August 6 primary across our state,” said Secretary of State Scott Schwab in a statement sent to State Affairs on Friday. “Our trained county election professionals are hard at work, ensuring that all eligible, registered voters have the opportunity to vote – whether advance in-person, by mail, or by voting in-person on election day. Regardless of your preference, I encourage all registered Kansans to participate in the primary and vote.”
State election officials are forecasting robust voter turnout for the primary. Even-year presidential or gubernatorial elections typically generate higher voter turnout than off-year elections — often shaped by local races tied to city and school seats.
For example, voter turnout in last year’s Douglas County primary checked in at roughly 10% of the county’s more than 79,000 registered voters. But turnout for presidential or gubernatorial elections typically eclipses 60% in Douglas County.
“Local races tend to have a lower percentage turnout,” said Howell, who predicted voter turnout to be in the 30% to 40% range in Shawnee County.
Because of the “Value them Both” abortion referendum question, the 2022 Kansas primary is considered an outlier for its exceedingly high voter turnout statewide. And unlike this year’s primary, unaffiliated voters were not required to switch their party affiliation in order to vote in the 2022 primary.
Schwab on Thursday posted on X an up-to-date snapshot of voting totals pertaining to advance ballots.
According to his account, 43,207 ballots have been mailed statewide.
Of those, 21,656 were for registered Democrats, 21,268 for Republicans, 273 for unaffiliated voters and 10 for Libertarians.
In comparison, more than 83,000 ballots were mailed out for the 2022 primary.
As of Thursday, 64 Republicans, 51 Democrats and one unaffiliated voter had completed and returned ballots. Schwab also said 398 Republicans, 149 Democrats and 27 unaffiliated voters cast ballots in-person.
Other info
Voters requesting advance mail ballots must do so by July 30, which entails submission of a completed form to an election office via mail or email. Advance mail ballots must then be postmarked by Aug. 6 and received no later than Aug. 9 to be counted.
Advance in-person voting at satellite locations starts July 30. Advance in-person voting ends Aug. 5.
Howell encourages prospective voters to view their sample ballot by visiting the Kansas Secretary of State’s website and filling out all pertinent information. A sample ballot displays items such as a voter’s political party and precinct, polling location, voting district and voting history.
Note: This story was clarified to reflect that July 17 was the first day for in-person advance voting, statewide.
Matt Resnick is a statehouse reporter at State Affairs Pro Kansas/Hawver’s Capitol Report. Reach him at [email protected].
Attorney General Todd Rokita co-led an amicus brief submitted Wednesday on behalf of 17 states asking a federal appeals court to side with a former Indiana teacher who wouldn’t use transgender students’ preferred names and pronouns.
In 2019, John Kluge, a former Brownsburg High School music teacher, sued the school corporation after he was forced to resign for refusing to follow its name policy.
The Brownsburg Community School Corp. had implemented the policy two years earlier, requiring teachers to refer to transgender students by their preferred names and pronouns. The school corporation approved name and pronoun changes only with the consent of both a parent and a health care professional. Under the policy, transgender students could also use the bathroom of their choice, according to court filings.
Kluge objected to the policy, saying it went against his religious beliefs. Kluge, a Christian, believes “it is sinful to promote gender dysphoria,” according to court filings. As a workaround, administrators initially allowed Kluge to refer to all students by their last name, an accommodation that was later revoked after multiple complaints were made. As demanded, Kluge submitted paperwork to resign at the end of the 2017-18 school year.
In the brief filed Wednesday, Rokita and other attorneys general argue the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana should have ruled in favor of Kluge, who claimed the school corporation failed to accommodate his religious beliefs.
Earlier this year, the court granted summary judgment to the school corporation. The case has since been appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Specifically, the district court found Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin, “does not require BCSC [Brownsburg Community School Corp.] to continue an accommodation that actually resulted in substantial student harm, and an unreasonable risk of liability, each sharply contradicting the school’s legally entitled mission to foster a supportive environment for all.”
Rokita and the other attorneys general contend Title VII should be interpreted differently, especially after a 2023 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. Employers are required to accommodate an employee’s religious practices unless doing so would cause “undue hardship,” which the nation’s highest court said is “a hardship [that] would be substantial in the context of an employer’s business.”
The district court’s ruling only paid “lip service” to the Supreme Court’s definition, the attorneys general wrote. They added the district court’s “supposition that Title IX requires transgender students to be addressed by their preferred names is palpably incorrect.”
“Brownsburg squandered an opportunity to showcase to students respect for people with different religious beliefs and practices,” the brief says.
Rokita, a Republican who, as Indiana’s attorney general, has frequently filed amicus briefs espousing conservative legal positions, will face Democratic challenger Destiny Wells in the November election.
Last year, Indiana legislators passed a law requiring schools to notify at least one of a student’s parents if the child requests to have their name or pronouns changed. A district court judge turned down an attempt to put the law on hold. A lawsuit challenging the law is still playing out.
The Kansas Department of Transportation secured a $62.6 million Bridge Investment Program grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation for the 18th Street Bridge Replacement project in Wyandotte County.
Gov. Laura Kelly announced the grant award on Thursday. In the news release, the bridge is described as a “key link” for Kansas City, Kansas, commuters — stretching over the Kansas River on U.S. 69.
“The health of our transportation infrastructure is vital to the safety of all who travel on Kansas’ roads, bridges, and highways,” Kelly said in the release. “The 18th Street bridge has been a critical connection for decades, and this project will support continued success and growth in the area.”
While numerous repairs have been made to the bridge over the past six decades, it’s now “beyond restoration” and in need of replacement, according to the release. An inspection in 2017 deemed the bridge unsafe for travel due to corrosion and cracking, but ensuring repairs only provided short-term relief. A 2019 study conducted by the Kansas Department of Transportation identified alternative options.
“[The] key goals were maintaining the Kansas River crossing and improving safety for travelers through the U.S. 69 (18th Street) corridor,” read the release.
Transportation Secretary Calvin Reed said bridges are vital to public infrastructure “not just as part of our state highway system, but as crossings within communities.”
Kansas City, Kansas Mayor Tyrone Garner added that Wyandotte County’s Unified Government has pledged “to work diligently with our federal and state partners to make this bridge project successful.”
The release noted that the project includes an array of related roadway upgrades along 18th Street, just north and south of the Kansas River. Construction is slated to begin in 2025 and take two years to fully complete.
Sen. David Haley, D-Kansas City, lauded Kelly for her “commitment” to infrastructure upgrades throughout the state.
Matt Resnick is a statehouse reporter at State Affairs Pro Kansas/Hawver’s Capitol Report. Reach him at [email protected].
Indiana’s unemployment rate increased to 3.8% last month, the highest it has been in nearly three years.
The last time Indiana saw an unemployment rate above 3.7% was in September 2021. However, despite the uptick, Indiana’s rate remains below what economists have traditionally considered “full employment.”
In June, the national unemployment rate also rose slightly to 4.1%, the highest it has been since November 2021.
Indiana’s rate has bested the national rate every month since November 2023, when the rates were equal for the first time since June 2020. In November, the Hoosier State had the 36th-lowest unemployment rate among all states, but Indiana has since regained some ground, finishing June tied with Colorado for the 31st-lowest rate in the country.
Indiana’s June unemployment rate was lower than those in neighboring Michigan (4.1%), Ohio (4.4%), Kentucky (4.6%) and Illinois (5%).
Indiana’s labor force participation rate — the percentage of Hoosiers aged 16 or older who are working or looking for a job — remained steady in June at 62.4%, just behind the national 62.6% rate, which increased slightly over the month.
June was the fourth straight month the state’s labor force participation rate trailed the national mark, according to Indiana Department of Workforce Development data.
The state has continued a steady march downward from a 63.6% labor force participation rate posted every month from April 2023 to August 2023. The relative decline comes after the Indiana Chamber of Commerce last year called for the state to increase its workforce participation rate to 70%, especially among minority populations, by 2035 as part of the chamber’s Indiana Prosperity 2035 economic playbook.
Indiana’s open job postings declined for the third straight month in June, but the state’s total labor force increased.
Private sector employment increased by 5,100 jobs over the month, too, according to the department, which said in a news release that Indiana had 41,900 more private-sector jobs in June than the same time last year.
Editor’s note: LaPolitics/State Affairs Managing Editor Jeremy Alford was one of a number of our journalists who covered the Republican National Convention this week for State Affairs. Below is a glimpse into the consistently hectic, rarely unscheduled and quietly ambitious political life of Mike Johnson, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
MILWAUKEE — The man who is second in line to be president hasn’t slept much in the past three days. Being chairman of the Republican National Convention means late-night floor sessions and seemingly endless interviews on behalf of the nominee. To the envy of every politician in downtown Milwaukee, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson has also arguably enjoyed more screen time than anyone else lucky enough to bump into a microphone.
Following an interview with Politico and before another with Fox Business host Larry Kudlow, Johnson sat down with State Affairs Thursday afternoon to field seven questions. He weighed in on the top of the GOP ticket, his convention speech that’s serving as the basis for a new book and what another Trump administration might mean for both the Lower Chamber and his own political fate.
Tucked away in the Fiserv Forum, where the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks play, is Johnson’s personal convention office. The space is located outside the convention floor and inside the House Cloakroom, which is really just the Jockey Club, an upscale lounge for sports enthusiasts that overlooks Deer District Plaza.
Vinyl House Cloakroom signs have been applied to most of the Jockey Club signs — much in the way Johnson’s Louisiana congressional delegation takes over the Washington Hilton each January for Washington Mardi Gras, temporarily rebranding McClellan’s Sports Bar as “The 65th Parish,” signage and all. (Louisiana is home to parishes, rather than counties, and there are 64 of them. Sixty-five, unofficially, when you tally the centerpiece bar at the Washington Hilton.)
On this fourth and final day of the GOP convention, the House Cloakroom provides a panoramic view of the politics invading Deer District Plaza. The expansive village green resembles an ant farm, with reporters asking delegates which speakers they want to hear most, podcasters bellowing about the decline of Western civilization, and delegates in funny hats and suited staffers sweating.
Watching Johnson cross the plaza is a reminder of his newfound status among national Republicans. Elected in October 2023, the speaker makes his way slowly, surrounded by his security detail, which is supposed to help thin the throng around him. But delegates and convention-goers either refuse to move or are unaware they’re holding up a well-armed entourage.
The same crowd that booed former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on the convention floor (twice) for not being a better ally to former President Donald Trump seems unfazed by Johnson’s own rocky path to power. Many predicted Johnson wouldn’t last this long holding the Big Gavel, given the slim margin of his victory, an attempt to oust him this past spring and the general unpredictability and divisiveness of the People’s House.
Still, to those who lived it, all of the Hill-anchored drama seems like a political lifetime ago. Back in his makeshift Milwaukee office, Johnson is listening to a pair of staffers fire off details about the next 30 minutes of his schedule. Or rather, he’s trying to hear them. Both. At the same time. That’s because the convention’s loudspeaker system is being pumped into the House Cloakroom’s small business office.
Johnson is, after all, the convention chairman. His ears are always on.
Editor’s note: LaPolitics/State Affairs Managing Editor Jeremy Alford was one of a number of our journalists who covered the Republican National Convention this week for State Affairs. Below is a glimpse into the consistently hectic, rarely unscheduled and quietly ambitious political life of Mike Johnson, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
MILWAUKEE — The man who is second in line to be president hasn’t slept much in the past three days. Being chairman of the Republican National Convention means late-night floor sessions and seemingly endless interviews on behalf of the nominee. To the envy of every politician in downtown Milwaukee, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson has also arguably enjoyed more screen time than anyone else lucky enough to bump into a microphone.
Following an interview with Politico and before another with Fox Business host Larry Kudlow, Johnson sat down with State Affairs Thursday afternoon to field seven questions. He weighed in on the top of the GOP ticket, his convention speech that’s serving as the basis for a new book and what another Trump administration might mean for both the Lower Chamber and his own political fate.
Tucked away in the Fiserv Forum, where the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks play, is Johnson’s personal convention office. The space is located outside the convention floor and inside the House Cloakroom, which is really just the Jockey Club, an upscale lounge for sports enthusiasts that overlooks Deer District Plaza.
Vinyl House Cloakroom signs have been applied to most of the Jockey Club signs — much in the way Johnson’s Louisiana congressional delegation takes over the Washington Hilton each January for Washington Mardi Gras, temporarily rebranding McClellan’s Sports Bar as “The 65th Parish,” signage and all. (Louisiana is home to parishes, rather than counties, and there are 64 of them. Sixty-five, unofficially, when you tally the centerpiece bar at the Washington Hilton.)
On this fourth and final day of the GOP convention, the House Cloakroom provides a panoramic view of the politics invading Deer District Plaza. The expansive village green resembles an ant farm, with reporters asking delegates which speakers they want to hear most, podcasters bellowing about the decline of Western civilization, and delegates in funny hats and suited staffers sweating.
Watching Johnson cross the plaza is a reminder of his newfound status among national Republicans. Elected in October 2023, the speaker makes his way slowly, surrounded by his security detail, which is supposed to help thin the throng around him. But delegates and convention-goers either refuse to move or are unaware they’re holding up a well-armed entourage.
The same crowd that booed former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on the convention floor (twice) for not being a better ally to former President Donald Trump seems unfazed by Johnson’s own rocky path to power. Many predicted Johnson wouldn’t last this long holding the Big Gavel, given the slim margin of his victory, an attempt to oust him this past spring and the general unpredictability and divisiveness of the People’s House.
Still, to those who lived it, all of the Hill-anchored drama seems like a political lifetime ago. Back in his makeshift Milwaukee office, Johnson is listening to a pair of staffers fire off details about the next 30 minutes of his schedule. Or rather, he’s trying to hear them. Both. At the same time. That’s because the convention’s loudspeaker system is being pumped into the House Cloakroom’s small business office.
Johnson is, after all, the convention chairman. His ears are always on.
“Are we going to listen to Kid Rock while we’re doing this?” Johnson asks his staff with a laugh, referencing the convention’s music choice of the moment.
Just a minute or two prior, Johnson had mentioned the possibility of Kid Rock’s appearance that evening, adding a bit of Detroit flair to the final night’s Trumptastic crescendo. Johnson, a former state legislator who made his bones as an attorney focusing on the First Amendment principles of religious independence and free speech, couldn’t help but smile about Kid Rock’s visit.
(Credit: Office of Speaker Mike Johnson)
This is the same speaker who aids his state delegation in the annual act of overtaking a bar like a band of Mardi Gras pirates. As a Louisiana politician, he understands the duality of late-night networking and making church on Sunday mornings. He’s quick with hugs and anecdotes, welcoming of selfies and liked among his Democratic and Republican colleagues in Louisiana and Washington for his sharp sense of humor and almost pathological obsession with rules, bylaws and manuals.
Knowing this interview was being recorded, Johnson asked, “Let’s see if a table outside is quieter.”
It wasn’t.
“It’s louder,” the speaker said, still laughing as the sounds of Kid Rock were amplified. “How is that possible?”
At this point, Johnson was holding hands with his wife, Kelly, a former teacher and pastoral counselor, as he made his way around a corner of the House Cloakroom. A staffer followed, as did the speaker’s security detail.
Finally, Johnson found a quiet hallway with small tables for two, complete with ornamental lamps. Over his shoulder a large, muted TV broadcast a live Fox News interview with Donald Trump Jr. The speaker pulled up a chair for his wife, asking her to stay. He blinked in a way that suggested he wished for rest. Kid Rock could barely be heard.
Adjusting his eyeglasses, he began explaining the inspiration behind his convention speech, which was a topic of conversation upon arrival at his temporary office.
Q. Hold that thought for a second or so. We want to ask you about that speech and also want to know if you would be open to a position in a Trump White House. Some delegates are already saying you look and sound like a shortlist contender for attorney general.
A. Speaker Johnson: I want to be of my highest and best use for this moment and this opportunity we have as a nation. I think the role of speaker of the House is so important to the legislative agenda before us. And what we’re doing now is very methodically planning an aggressive agenda for the new Congress, for the first 100 days and beyond. Because we’re anticipating we’ll have a unified government. So as the architect of the playbook, it will be really necessary to implement the plays and have continuity of leadership. Look, I’ll serve my country in any way I’m called, but I feel excited about the opportunities that are ahead of us. I have a very important role to play in that, in the role I have now.
Q. You’ve called for a far-reaching investigation into the shooting of former President Donald Trump. What is your anticipated endgame? Do you want more than findings from the new task force and House Oversight Committee? Recommendations? Other actions?
A. We need accountability. We need to ensure this never, ever happens again. I called for the resignation of [U.S. Secret Service] Director [Kimberly] Cheatle and she shows no signs of taking that course. So I called the White House this morning and said they need to fire her. Joe Biden needs to take decisive action. What we know already is completely inexcusable and dangerous. Accountability begins at the top. I told the White House, his right-hand man, Steve Ricchetti, “This can be an actual moment of leadership for the president, politically. This is low-hanging fruit. Show some initiative, for goodness’ sake. But they won’t, of course.
Q. The party has a vice presidential candidate in Ohio Sen. JD Vance, who at times hasn’t always been a friendly voice for his running mate. Do you get the sense that’s water under the bridge?
A. It is, yeah. I spent time with JD yesterday. We’re becoming fast friends. I have high regard for his intellect, although we have slightly different perspectives about policy issues. But we both agree that’s really healthy for the party. We’re looking forward to leading together. I talked with him for about a half-hour yesterday, just he and I. And we talked about this aggressive agenda for the new Congress and how important it will be for the vice president to be fully engaged in that. We haven’t had a fully engaged vice president in some time. To have him fresh out of the Senate, to know how it works, could be a great benefit to the president.
(Credit: Jeremy Alford)
Q. Your RNC speech about the seven principles of modern conservatism resonated with many delegates. We’ve heard quite a bit of feedback. You created that list years ago, though. What made you bring it back out for that speech, and what originally inspired the list?
A. I was elected to chairman of the Republican Study Committee in 2019. It’s the largest caucus in Congress, the biggest caucus of conservatives. I was just going into my second term, so that was unusual. I mentioned to my colleagues we’re in an unprecedented moment. At the time, in 2019, there was a turbulence in the party and the country — lots of things were being shifted around — and people were losing sight of what it means to be a conservative. What does it mean? As a positive to my colleagues, we had 153 members in the RSC at the time. One day I asked members, “If you were in an elevator downtown today and you had an opportunity with a millennial who had the wrong worldview, what would you say to them to convince them your worldview is preferable? What does it mean to be conservative? If they have a shirt that says, ‘Proud Progressive,’ what do you say?” I think if we created a task force, it would produce a list that looks like this. If you had to condense a library of conservative thought and writing from the founders, from the very beginning, the works that inspired the party platform for the last several decades, and nail it down to one page, what would it be? This is what I think it would be. This is the essence. But really, the core principles of the country itself right now involve speaking with clarity, conviction and consistency more than we ever have. We all need that. I feel more deeply burdened about that today than I did back then.
Q. You mentioned earlier this is the inspiration for a new book. What can you tell us about that? How far are you into the project?
A. It’s almost finished. I was going to try to get it out before the vote, but I don’t think that’s going to happen now. It’s very simple. I’ve been making the case for these seven core principles around the country, Jeremy. I’ve done events in 144 cities in 31 states now. Everywhere I go when I reference this, it resonates deeply. It’s as if people need it. When I’m out and around the country, I have to specify that I’m from Louisiana and I speak in football and hurricane metaphors. Everything to us is one of those. A hurricane metaphor is uncharted waters in choppy seas. There are dark skies on the horizon, right? It’s coming up from the ocean. But the thing is, you have to know where the fixed points are on the horizon. [Late President Ronald] Reagan said in his farewell address, “They called me the Great Communicator. But I really wasn’t. I was just communicating great things. The same great things that have guided our nation since its founding.” That’s the essence of great things. I suggest we’re the stewards of those great things today. We need to know what we believe if we’re going to evangelize and bring people along. People want to know what we’re for, not just what we’re against. That’s going to be central to us moving forward.
Q. What does your travel and fundraising schedule look like this fall in terms of your plans to help incumbents and GOP congressional candidates?
A. It’s endless. I’m trying to be in my district as much as possible. The speaker is also requested to be in every district. So it’s everywhere around the country. It’s a tireless schedule. But we’ve put a slot on the schedule for one, single nap the day after Christmas. I’ll sleep in late December. Between now and then, we’re not stopping.
Q. We’ve got two more questions —
The staffer recording this interview politely made his presence known.
“We have to go. … We have to go, unfortunately,” the staffer said.
Johnson looked up, asking, “What time is Kudlow?”
“Three. Hard. Live. I’m sorry.”
“Live?” the speaker inquired.
“Yes, sir.”
Before standing, Johnson offered to finish our interview by phone. Upon learning the two remaining questions could be condensed into one, he rose to his feet. Someone suggested he could walk and talk.
“Let’s do it,” Johnson said.
The fellowship followed as the speaker slowly made his way to a nearby set of elevators. At what seemed like every corner, he turned to look for his wife, placing his hand in hers or on her back. Despite the convention’s long hours, the sometimes-toxic political environment and the haters who hate everything on social media, there were smiles all around.
Q. A little over two months have passed since a small group of Republican members endeavored to have you removed. As you reflect on that now, where does your mind go?
A. I never skipped a beat. I never looked back. (Where are we going? Who are we following again? This way? Oh. OK!) It’s part of the process. We had the smallest margin in U.S. history. [Former U.S. House Speaker] Newt Gingrich wrote an op-ed for The Washington Times eight weeks ago and said, “Johnson has the most challenging speakership since the Civil War about 160 years ago.” And he made the point that before he became speaker he had 16 years to build a platform and leadership team and structure and fundraising. He said, “Johnson had 15 minutes.” But I had a one-vote margin, you know? That’s behind us. We went through a valley. I kept telling the team to stick together and it’ll be brighter on the other side. I think we’re here now.
Jeremy Alford is managing editor of LaPolitics/State Affairs. Find Jeremy on X or at [email protected].
ABOUT MIKE JOHNSON
Title: 56th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (Republican); represents Louisiana’s 4th Congressional District
Residence: Bossier Parish
Age: 52
Education: Undergraduate degree in business administration from Louisiana State University; juris doctorate from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University
Occupations: Small-business owner, attorney practicing constitutional law
Hobbies and interests: Johnson has been a conservative talk radio host, columnist, college professor and spokesman for national religious liberty organizations. He has also provided legal counsel for national organizations and community groups and ministries.
Family: Married to Kelly since 1999. They have five children — Hannah, Abigail, Jack, Will and Michael.
A global software error that has grounded flights and disrupted the economy has also impacted Kansas government agencies.
The issue was caused by a faulty software update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike, the Kansas Office of Information Technology Services said Friday.
The company, which the office described as a vendor partner for the state, updated its software late Thursday night and early Friday morning. But the update caused major issues for the company’s clients running Microsoft Windows.
Allie Denning, the information technology office’s director of public affairs, said the error was not a cybersecurity attack and doesn’t threaten life safety services. However, she was unable to say which specific state services are affected as the office continues to evaluate and work to solve the problem.
The software issue also affected the judicial branch. Spokesperson Lisa Taylor said the judiciary is working quickly to fix the problem.
Until the error is fixed, Kansans can’t access the District Court Public Access Portal. The electronic filing system still works, but the judiciary recommended paper filings for urgent matters.
CrowdStrike has provided fixes for the faulty software, and state agencies are working to implement them. The information technology office said it can’t provide an estimated timeline to restore services.
$10M in rural broadband grants announced
The latest round of rural broadband grants will see $10 million awarded to 12 internet service providers.
Gov. Laura Kelly announced the awards Friday. Administered by the Kansas Office of Broadband Development, the Broadband Acceleration Grant is a 10-year, $85 million plan funded by the Kansas Department of Transportation’s Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program.
These awards — which will be joined by $12.7 million in matching funds — bring the grant program’s total spend to $41.5 million.
The awardees were selected after public comment and an executive committee review.
This round of broadband grants is the first since the departure of Jade Piros de Carvalho, the broadband office’s former director. In June, Piros de Carvalho told the Kansas Reflector she was let go after she “said the wrong thing to the wrong person.”
“High-speed internet is foundational to thriving in the modern world. Through the Broadband Acceleration Grant, we continue to see an increased need and community support for broadband buildout,” Interim Broadband Director Joseph Le said in a news release. “Our office will continue our commitment to connecting and empowering all Kansans, no matter the region of the state in which they are located.”
Treasurer warns of phone scam
Kansas State Treasurer Steven Johnson is warning of a phone scam impersonating a government official.
His office recently learned of a Kansas resident who received a phone call from a person claiming to represent the Treasurer’s Office, Johnson said Thursday. The victim was told he won the lottery and directed to wire funds and load money onto a gift card in exchange for the winnings.
A government entity would never ask for payment using a gift card, the Treasurer’s Office said, and any request for payment in order to receive money is likely fraud.
“Imposter scams are a rising trend in Kansas,” Johnson said in a news release. “Kansans should be aware that the State Treasurer’s office is not involved in the delivery of lottery winnings.”
Gov. Eric Holcomb is leaving this weekend for an economic development trip to Australia and Singapore, adding more foreign travel to his final months in office.
The governor’s office announced Friday that Holcomb will depart Indianapolis on Saturday for Australia and return from Singapore on July 30. Joining him on the trip will be first lady Janet Holcomb, state Commerce Secretary David Rosenberg and Indiana Economic Development Corp. representatives.
The trip will focus on development opportunities in areas such as advanced manufacturing, defense and energy, the governor’s office said.
“Australia and Singapore both represent significant partnership opportunities due to their strengths in bolstering innovation, attracting and developing talent and cultivating growth in critical sectors,” Holcomb said in a statement. “I look forward to taking Indiana’s message across the Pacific and working to foster new opportunities for our businesses and our residents.”
This trip comes after Holcomb traveled to the Netherlands, Belgium and France in June, went to Brazil and Mexico in April and visited Canada in January. It marks Holcomb’s 24th international economic development trip as governor, his office said.
Holcomb’s term as governor ends in January, and he has put much of his focus on economic development efforts in recent months.
“You can’t shrink from your global responsibility to be connected both economically and diplomatically,” Holcomb said.
Holcomb will meet with various government and business officials during stops in Sydney, Melbourne and Singapore.
Former Gov. Robert Orr was the U.S. ambassador to Singapore in 1989-92 under President George H.W. Bush.
Holcomb pointed during the economic summit to the ties Orr built for Indiana as helping to attract Asian investment in Indiana, which has prominently included auto assembly plants by Honda, Subaru and Toyota.
“We still talk about Governor Orr’s relationships that were built in Asia and look at what has come from establishing those relationships decades later,” Holcomb said.
Holcomb’s travel costs are being paid through private donations to the Indiana Economic Development Foundation, his office said.
Tom Davies is a Statehouse reporter for State Affairs Pro Indiana. Reach him at[email protected] or on X at @TomDaviesIND.
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