Mike Johnson will not seek House GOP minority leader post after midterm losses

Johnson steps aside

Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, told staff on a call on the morning of Wednesday, 4 November, that he will not run for minority leader once Republicans lose their House majority. People familiar with his plans described the decision, which follows a midterm election on Tuesday, 3 November, in which Democrats took control of Congress in a sweeping rebuke of President Donald Trump's second term. Republicans lost at least 21 seats, according to POLITICO, with Democrats flipping long-held Republican seats in Iowa, Kansas and Texas. Johnson took over the speakership in October 2023, when he was a relatively unknown member, after weeks of Republican chaos that began with Kevin McCarthy's removal from the post. He had publicly insisted he would stay in Republican leadership even if the party lost the House, so his exit reverses that position.

Scalise and Jordan line up

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana has launched a bid for the job, and a statement released through a person close to his plans calls him ready to lead from the first day. This is his second run at the post. In October 2023 he beat Jim Jordan in a secret-ballot vote to nominate a speaker, then withdrew a day later after failing to win enough support on the House floor. Reports citing two people familiar with the matter said Jordan, the Ohio Republican who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, was preparing an effort to oust Johnson and take the minority leader role. Jordan had also tried to claim the top House Republican job after McCarthy lost the speakership, but he could not collect enough votes. Majority Whip Tom Emmer is reportedly lining up support to stay on as whip, and he told Axios in September that he intended to keep his current position instead of seeking a higher one.

Party reaction

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis described the midterm result at a press conference in Tallahassee on Wednesday morning as close to an extinction-level event for Republicans across the country. Florida was one of the few red states where Republicans were not overwhelmed, with both statewide races won by narrower margins than expected. DeSantis said the losses would be felt well beyond the next two years and could reverberate for a decade or more. He added a reflection on the scale of the result:

“We knew it could be worse. I don't think most of us thought it would be this bad.”

Three House Republicans told Axios that a defeat of this size could fuel calls for an entirely new leadership team, a prospect that could complicate Scalise's bid.

What comes next

With Johnson stepping back, the top Republican position in the House will go to whichever member of the party can secure it. House Republicans will elect their leadership team on Tuesday, 10 November, and prospective candidates face a deadline of Friday, 6 November to declare their intentions. Johnson's own plans remain unclear, including whether he will stay in Congress or leave the House altogether after three years as speaker.