House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., will not seek to lead House Republicans in the minority, clearing the way for what could be a heated battle over the future of the GOP conference after Democrats flipped the chamber in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Johnson informed his staff of the decision during a call Wednesday morning, according to multiple reports. Punchbowl News first reported the move, and Johnson said he had spoken with President Trump earlier that morning.
The announcement comes one day after Republicans suffered sweeping losses at the ballot box. Democrats captured control of both the House and the Senate. While the size of the new Democratic House majority has yet to be finalized, ballots counted so far point to a significant margin.
Johnson’s decision marks a reversal. In October, he told CBS News he intended to stay on as the party’s leader if Republicans lost the House.
In remarks from Shreveport, Louisiana, Tuesday night, Johnson reflected on his time with the gavel.
“It’s been the honor of my life to serve as the 56th speaker of the House — not a position we ever aspired to or expected to have,” Johnson said.
In a statement after Democrats claimed the majority, the Louisiana Republican struck a defiant tone.
“While the outcome of this midterm is not what we’d hoped and fought for, a new battle is just beginning,” Johnson said. “This Democrat House majority will be led by the most radical and extreme leftists in American history.”
Two familiar names quickly emerged as contenders to replace him atop the conference: House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.
Scalise announced he would run for minority leader. Jordan, a prominent Trump ally, also plans to run, Fox News reported. The matchup could prove contentious as Republicans work to regroup from their defeat.
House Republicans are scheduled to hold leadership elections on Nov. 10, one week after Election Day. Candidates must declare by Friday, according to Axios.
The race carries echoes of 2023. After Republicans ousted then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in an unprecedented move, both Scalise and Jordan were nominated for speaker but failed to secure the votes needed. Johnson, then the vice chair of the House Republican Conference and a relatively little-known lawmaker, became the party’s fourth nominee and won the gavel in October 2023.
His tenure was rarely smooth. Johnson presided over a razor-thin majority and a restless conference, repeatedly struggling to keep Republicans united on government funding, the Iran war and other high-stakes issues during the first two years of Trump’s second term.
Johnson has not publicly announced his future plans.
Democrats will formally take control of the House when the new Congress convenes in January.
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