Exclusive: Top GOPers rally behind Perry despite no promise of future support
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House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., left, chats with Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
DILLSBURG, Pa. — House Republican leaders are stumping for ex-Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry (R-Pa.) during the closing days of the campaign — even as Perry signals he won't necessarily back their upcoming leadership bids.
Why it matters: The leaders' decision to bury the hatchet, at least for now, with Perry (R-Pa.) signals Johnson and his team are prioritizing keeping their narrow majority — even if that means reelecting people who regularly go against them.
- When asked how Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La), Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) and others coming to his district would influence his votes in future leadership races, Perry stopped short of promising his support.
- "We all like each other, but we got business to conduct, right? So you hope that it can be cordial," he said.
- "We always want to be on the same page. We just couldn't figure it out," Perry told Axios of his past positions.
Perry — an initial holdout in the first speaker's race of the 118th Congress — played a key role in forcing conservatives' rules changes and wouldn't commit to supporting several members of current leadership during the internal debate over who should replace Kevin McCarthy as speaker.
Driving the news: Still, Scalise hit the trail for Perry at two events Wednesday on the heels of Johnson's visit in early October — and the praise was mutual.
- "Scott and I have always had a very good, candid relationship, even when he might not be voting with leadership," Scalise told Axios. "You can talk to him about where we are, and there have been really important votes where he's been with us where we needed him."
- Leadership will need to keep open lines of communication with all factions of their conference especially if they keep the majority, Scalise said, noting that there were "a lot of different points of view" to consider.
- House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) is set to visit the district Saturday.
The big picture: With Perry facing a stiff challenge from Democrat Janelle Stelson, a super PAC closely linked to Johnson (R-La.) starting funneling millions into the race last month.
- The district went for former President Trump by 4 percentage points in 2020, but Perry's co-sponsorship of anti-abortion legislation and the FBI's seizure of his phone as part of its Jan. 6 probe have provided Democrats easy ad fodder.
- Democrats, smelling blood, have poured money into the race, with Stelson spending $2.8 million on ads as of mid-October — on top of more than $2.9 million from House Democrats' campaign arm and super PAC.
- Stelson also has banked the support of several former House Republicans who served with Perry.
Zoom in: Perry said he feels good about his chances and the support he's getting from top lawmakers, telling Axios: "Look, we're all in this together...We gotta win the majority."
- "Sure, we have different opinions — that's normal — but we know what our mission is," he added.
Yes, but: Some moderates and swing district Republicans have expressed frustrations that firebrand members like Perry are siphoning resources when they haven't been team players.
