Mike Johnson’s conservative voting record via Heritage:
115th Congress (2017-18) 84%
116th Congress (2019-20) 91%
117th Congress (2021-22) 96%
Johnson becomes Speaker 👉 118th Congress (2023-24) 55%
What happened to Mike Johnson once he became Speaker of the House?
Maybe those ultra conservative, but irrelevant, votes were specifically to build his legend, so that it would be possible to get some power. Once you have the power, then you do what the paymasters/string pullers ask.
Many cases, you climb the ladder talking about principles, but when you get to the top you are free to do as you like.