In October 2023, Maryland Rep. Andy Harris saw values in newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson that matched his own.

Harris, the state’s lone Republican in the congressional delegation, was optimistic and confident about the kind of leader he believed Johnson would be. At the top of the list was the Louisiana Republican’s promise to bring up individual spending bills instead of large, jam-packed omnibus bills Congress had become known for. Those last-minute deals were kryptonite to fiscal conservatives who demanded more transparency and wanted voters to see how the government was spending their money.

“He’s exactly the kind of leader the House, Washington, and America needs in this time of national and global crisis,” Harris said of Johnson at the time.

A little over a year later, Harris is reconsidering “whether the current leadership is what we need.”

“Before the last couple of weeks, I was in his corner, but now we should consider what’s the best path forward,” Harris said Thursday on Fox Business.

After a chaotic end to the legislative session before the holidays, Republicans are debating who should lead them as House speaker — one of the most powerful political positions in Washington, D.C., and third in the presidential line of succession. It’s also a role Harris could be groomed for as his influence grows in Congress.

Harris represents Maryland’s 1st Congressional District, which includes the Eastern Shore, Harford County and part of Baltimore County. He is also the chair of the House Freedom Caucus, a powerful group of lawmakers who try to steer the Republican Party toward fiscal conservatism.

The caucus frequently calls for reducing spending and the size of government, and its members have rejected bipartisan deals. Some members were among the eight lawmakers who ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy for working across the aisle to avert a shutdown in 2023.

But this year the speaker race comes at a more frantic time, with some Republicans asking President-elect Donald Trump to back Johnson to ensure they can easily certify his victory on Jan. 6. Johnson has remained close to Trump, including at the recent Army-Navy game in Landover, yet the president-elect has indicated he wouldn’t stop someone from challenging him for the speaker’s gavel.

Harris previously told The Baltimore Sun that the House Freedom Caucus would be working to deliver Trump’s agenda.

On Thursday, he said Trump needs “strong leadership” on Capitol Hill, especially while tight margins mean Republicans can’t afford to lose many votes.

Could Harris, who has been a reliable and loyal supporter of Trump, be an option for House speaker?

“His stock has been rising. It’s certainly plausible he could be a name out there,” said Flavio Hickel Jr., a political science professor at Washington College in Chestertown.

But whether Harris, who did not respond to multiple requests for comment, wants the job or Johnson would be pushed aside is “almost impossible to predict, Hickel said.

It’s reasonable to think Johnson would have at least one more legislative foray before facing serious talk of replacing him, the professor said.

“I think Johnson might get the first crack at moving Trump’s legislative priority,” Hickel said. “If he fails at that or it falls apart, Andy Harris and others might try to position themselves to be next in line.”

On the other hand, skeptical Republicans are already showing signs they want a new speaker in January — something Trump opened the door for with his criticism of debt negotiations before the holidays.

In a joint statement Dec. 18 with Vice President-elect JD Vance, Trump encouraged Republicans to “GET SMART and TOUGH” during last-minute negotiations on legislation to avert a government shutdown.

“If Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then CALL THEIR BLUFF,” the statement said.

The statement immediately drew criticism from Democrats, as several Republicans and billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk called for shutting down the federal government until Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20.

That chaos prompted Republicans like Harris and Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry, who previously chaired the House Freedom Caucus that Harris now leads, to soften their support of Johnson.

“I think that (Johnson) has done an admirable job under tough conditions, but I’m going to keep my options open,” Perry said Friday on Fox Business.

Some Republicans, like Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana, are undecided. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky has said he will vote against Johnson.

“A weak legislative branch, beholden to the swamp, will not be able to achieve the mandate voters gave Trump and Congress in November,” Massie said on X.

Harris previously told The Sun he also thought the voters gave Trump a mandate, and he said the House Freedom Caucus would help the incoming president pass his agenda.

Even if he’s not the next speaker, Harris can still wield considerable power in the next Congress, according to Hickel.

“The House Freedom Caucus, with Harris as their chairman, might decide to act as a more unified block against Johnson and any deal with Democrats,” he said. “If they’re not acting in a unified way, Harris is still chair of a powerful and influential caucus, and I’d look for him to leverage that.”

Have a news tip? Contact politics editor Candy Woodall at cwoodall@baltsun.com.