Who Will be House Minority Speaker? Mike Johnson Stepping Down Following Midterms - Newsweek
House Speaker Mike Johnson is giving up his position atop the House GOP after Republicans were swept from power in Tuesday’s midterms, bringing his three-year tenure as the party’s leader to a close.
Johnson informed his staff Wednesday morning that he would not remain in leadership as Republicans prepare to become the minority. Democrats captured at least 21 GOP-held seats Tuesday, enough to retake control of the chamber.
The Louisiana Republican had previously left open the possibility of leading his conference from the minority, although fellow Republicans had questioned whether he would ultimately pursue the job. Johnson spent much of the campaign’s closing stretch traveling to competitive districts to protect the Republican majority.
His exit is likely to ignite a contest over the conference’s direction, with Majority Leader Steve Scalise, also of Louisiana, and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio positioned as leading possibilities to succeed him.
Newsweek has reached out to Johnson, Scalise, Jordan and the White House via email on Wednesday morning for comment.
Last night, Johnson acknowledged Republicans’ disappointment over losing control of the chamber but urged the party not to become discouraged, while vowing to continue pursuing the GOP’s agenda.
“I’m disappointed too, but we are never discouraged,” Johnson told supporters, arguing that millions of voters were alarmed by what he described as Democrats’ “socialist Marxist platform.” He warned that such ideologies had historically resulted in “human suffering and misery and pain and even death,” and called the pursuit of socialism a “dangerous fool’s errand.”
Johnson struck a similarly defiant tone on social media overnight.
“While the outcome of this midterm is not what we’d hoped and fought for, a new battle is just beginning,” he wrote.
Looking ahead to the next election cycle, Johnson added: “Come 2028, we WILL take back the House and we will finish the job.”
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