Speaker Mike Johnson turned to Democrats on Wednesday to help pass a stopgap funding bill amid GOP defections, and the House voted to avert a government shutdown.

The bill, which must now pass the Senate, will fund the government until December 20, setting up a chaotic, high-stakes fight over spending at the end of the year. The political landscape will be vastly altered by that time in the wake of the November elections, and Congress will be facing major deadlines not only on funding, but other key priorities as well. The outcome of the elections will determine how strong, or weak, a hand Johnson will have to play in spending talks.

The Senate is expected to vote later Wednesday evening to pass the stopgap funding bill. Afterward, the measure would be sent to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.

For Johnson, the latest spending episode highlights the Louisiana Republican’s relentless struggle to balance keeping his right flank from all-out rebellion while also ensuring he can complete the basic functions of governing, a key concern for his more moderate, vulnerable members in swing districts, especially with just weeks to go until the election.

The House vote was 341 to 82 with 132 Republicans and 209 Democrats voting in favor and 82 Republicans voting against. While more Democrats than Republicans voted to pass the bill, Johnson did secure a majority of his conference in support of the stopgap.

“A shutdown is bad governance, and it’s bad politics,” Rep. Don Bacon, a Republican from Nebraska, told CNN about Johnson’s call. “I think he’s doing right.”

Making the political calculus even more complicated, Johnson has had to navigate demands from GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, who has called for a government shutdown unless Republicans secure passage of a controversial bill targeting noncitizen voting, known as the SAVE Act, alongside government funding. Several Republicans have made the case to Trump and his team that a shutdown would risk their ability to keep their House majority – as well as Trump’s ability to flip the White House, according to multiple GOP lawmakers and senior aides.

Last week, Johnson tried to push forward with a plan that included a six-month spending bill and the SAVE Act, but ultimately that package met resistance from conservatives who argued they were completely opposed to any short-term spending bill at all. Several other Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee opposed it because they refused to approve new funding for the Pentagon.

“I like the plan we had last week. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the votes for it,” House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican, told CNN. “I plan on not voting for the (continuing resolution). I think Mike’s doing a good job. It’s a tough position he’s in.”

On Wednesday, Johnson needed significant Democratic support to make up for “no” votes within his own GOP conference.

Relying on votes from Democrats has opened Johnson up once again to criticism from his right flank, though few Republicans expect the speaker will face any immediate political repercussions. GOP lawmakers say Johnson is expected to escape the fate of his predecessor, former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted by Republicans roughly one year ago after working with Democrats to avert a shutdown.

That’s in part because of Johnson’s existing relationships with his conference, which he has worked to maintain even as he pushes a bill unpopular with his conference. The day after Johnson’s leadership team unveiled the plan, the speaker personally attended a meeting of the House Freedom Caucus to discuss his lack of other options to keep the government open, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Yet it’s unclear if Johnson was able to convince any of those ultraconservative Republicans – who typically oppose government funding bills – to change their positions.

“It’s all the same thing over and over again,” said Rep. Scott Perry, a Pennsylvania Republican and former Freedom Caucus chairman, who said he will oppose the funding bill.

Still, he acknowledged that Johnson had no other choice with Democrats controlling the Senate: “Nobody loves it. But, you don’t have many options.”

Johnson has said that he believes Trump understands House Republicans don’t have the votes to pass the SAVE Act. And the speaker insisted on Monday that he is not concerned he could lose his gavel over the funding push.

“We have to make tough decisions in leadership. This is the last available option to us,” Johnson said. “None of us like it, but we can’t shut the government down 39 days before an election. It’d be political malpractice.”

While the government funding bill does not include the SAVE Act, it does include an additional $231 million for the US Secret Service to help the agency protect the 2024 presidential candidates. This comes after lawmakers have called for more resources in the wake of two apparent assassination attempts against Trump.

Pushing the funding deadline into late December raises questions over what strategy lawmakers will pursue to prevent a holiday season shutdown.

Many lawmakers, and conservatives in particular, oppose sweeping spending packages known as an omnibus, but Hill leaders could face pressure to either take that route or pass yet another short-term extension.

At a members-only meeting on Tuesday morning, Johnson promised his colleagues that he would not allow his conference to accept that dreaded massive year-end spending bill. But even his close colleagues privately say there are no other real alternatives if the narrowly divided House GOP can’t agree on a spending plan among themselves.

“In difficult times we (have) got to make difficult decisions. That is what is happening here,” Johnson argued. He vowed “we will fight” during the lame duck for GOP priorities.

“We will not do a Christmas omnibus,” he said after the meeting. “No way, not gonna do it.”

Johnson’s struggle over government funding is certain to play a major role in this fall’s GOP leadership race, which is expected to take place shortly after the November elections.

As that internal contest nears, Johnson’s own leadership deputies are working to shore up their own relationships across the House GOP. Several Republicans highlighted the outreach from House Majority Whip Tom Emmer.

In recent days, for instance, Emmer’s team gave personally engraved hockey sticks to several House Republicans that thanked them for their service to the chamber. At least two Republican lawmakers said they received them shortly after they voted against the GOP stopgap spending bill, according to two GOP sources familiar with the matter.

“Hockey mementos are a long-standing tradition for Emmer, intended as a small token of appreciation for members of the House Republican team,” according to a third person familiar with the outreach.

This story and headline have updated with additional developments.

CNN’s Ted Barrett, Annie Grayer and Morgan Rimmer contributed to this report.