Matt Gaetz slams 'Democrats dressed in Republican drag' amid efforts to challenge sitting GOP lawmakers and Speaker Johnson tells caucus 'knock off' campaigning against each other

Speaker Mike Johnson is telling his Republican caucus to 'knock it off' as a series of primary challenges within the party threaten the GOP's already razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) is helping spearhead efforts by challengers to some of his Republican colleagues who he claims are 'in drag' or just Democrats parading as Republicans.

At least four incumbent Republicans in the House are facing fierce primary challenges with colleagues backing up and actively campaigning those trying to oust them.

Meanwhile, those on a revenge tour of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy ouster are looking to target the eight Republicans who voted him out last year.

'I've asked them all to cool it,' Johnson told CNN during the House GOP retreat in West Virginia last week of any infighting. 'I am vehemently opposed to member-on-member action in primaries because it's not productive. And it causes division for obvious reasons, and we should not be engaging in that.'

He added: 'So I'm telling everyone who's doing that to knock it off.'

House Speaker Mike Johnson wants his party members to 'knock it off' as in-fighting continues and current members back challenges to other incumbents 

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) is helping lead efforts to oust at least two of his current GOP colleagues as he claims there are 'Democrats in drag' acting like they are Republicans 

There are currently 219 Republicans and 213 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives – and three vacancies – meaning the GOP needs to hold onto all of their seats if they want to maintain a majority come next year.

Gaetz is actively involved in the effort to remove incumbent Reps. Mike Bost (R-Ill.) and Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), claiming that these races are more important than attacking Democrats because the GOP can't get anything done with RINOS in the caucus.

'I would love nothing more than to just go after Democrats,' Gaetz told CNN.

'But if Republicans are going to dress up like Democrats in drag, I'm going to go after them too,' he added. 'Because at the end of the day, we're not judged by how many Republicans we have in Congress. We're judged on whether or not we save the country.'

The firebrand Republican led the successful charge last year to oust McCarthy, leading to a ramped-up war between establishment GOP leadership and the more MAGA faction of the Republican Party in Congress.

Half a dozen House Republicans, including House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers, are attending a fundraiser for Navy SEAL John Mcguire, the Republican candidate challenging House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good, multiple sources confirmed to CNN.

It's likely part of a payback tour from the establishment arm of the party for Good joining seven other Republicans to vote to oust McCarthy in October.

Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) also voted to oust McCarthy and says he is being targeted in his primary election because of that vote last year.

'You know how this town works,' Crane told CNN. 'You can't come up here and just start making waves and not pay for it, right?'

'So the way I see it is good. It just reaffirms that I'm doing what I came here to do,' he added.

Meanwhile, a handful of House Republicans are attending a fundraiser for Navy SEAL John Mcguire (pictured) in his primary challenge to House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good, who voted to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last year

Gaetz is backing up hard-right YouTuber Brandon Herrera (pictured) in his bid to oust Rep. Tony Gonzales from his House seat for Texas' 23rd congressional district

The member-on-member primary fights are causing a massive headache for Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise as they attempt to hold onto their majority in 2024's election.

During a closed-door presentation at the annual GOP retreat in West Virginia last week, Johnson and Scalise discouraged members from supporting primary challenges to incumbents, sources in the room revealed.

But the same day as that presentations, Gaetz was rallying in Texas from Brandon Herrera, who is challenging Gonzales in the May 28 runoff election.

'While the rest of my colleagues on Thursday will be on retreat, I'm going to be on the advance,' he said as several anti-leadership party members skipped the retreat this year.