Mike Johnson Will Not Seek House Minority Leader Role After GOP Midterm Losses
House Speaker Mike Johnson informed staff Wednesday that he will not run for minority leader in the new Congress, clearing the way for an internal contest between Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan.
Tommy Flynn
House Speaker Mike Johnson told staff on a Wednesday morning call that he will not seek the House minority-leader position after Republicans lost control of the chamber in Tuesday’s midterm elections, according to multiple reports citing sources familiar with the discussion.
Johnson, a Louisiana Republican who has served as speaker since 2023, won reelection to his own seat but faces a Democratic majority in both the House and Senate when the new Congress convenes in January. Contenders who have already declared interest include current Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio. Both sent letters to colleagues outlining their plans.
President Donald Trump told reporters he would stay out of the leadership race. “We’ll stay out of it,” Trump said. “The speaker was fantastic, the people under him were fantastic, all good people.” Trump added that he had not asked Johnson to step aside.
A person familiar with Johnson’s thinking said the speaker did not want to stand in the way of Scalise’s ambitions. Scalise previously sought the speakership in 2023 before withdrawing. Jordan, in his letter, wrote that he knows “the Democrats’ playbook” and what is required to keep the conference unified in the minority. House Republicans are scheduled to hold leadership elections on November 10.
Johnson had told interviewers earlier this year that he intended to remain in leadership even if Republicans lost the majority. He once joked that he could return to Shreveport and start a lawn-mowing business if the party was defeated; he later described the remark as tongue-in-cheek. He is expected to retain his House seat.
The leadership decision arrives as Democrats prepare to install Hakeem Jeffries of New York as the next speaker. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has already stated that Republicans will not stand idly by while the new Democratic majorities attempt to unwind prior administration priorities.
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