Mike Johnson to not seek House GOP minority leadership after midterms

House Speaker Mike Johnson will not seek to lead the Republican minority in the new Congress following the party’s significant losses in the 2026 midterm elections. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., had faced a razor-thin majority that often left GOP priorities at risk.

Scalise and Jordan Launch Bids to Lead House GOP

The race to lead the House GOP in the minority has developed into a contest between two prominent members: House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.

Scalise, the No. 2 GOP leader and a close ally of Johnson, announced his bid in a letter to his colleagues on Wednesday. He argued that the conference requires tested leadership to counter the Democratic agenda. Jordan, a founding chairman of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus and a staunch defender of President Donald Trump, also submitted his candidacy. In a two-page letter to colleagues, Jordan described the election results as a staggering day for the conference and emphasized his experience on the oversight front, stating, I know the Democrats’ playbook.

The competition extends beyond the top leadership role. Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, has announced a challenge to Minority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., for his position. Additionally, the role of National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) chair is contested, with Rudy Yakym and Brian Jack set to face off for the post, as current NRCC Chairman Richard Hudson, R-N.C., is on track to lose his own reelection bid.

Midterm Results and the End of the GOP Majority

During his election night party in Shreveport, Louisiana, Johnson acknowledged the historic difficulty his party faced in attempting to retain control of the chamber.

From the first day of this election, we knew that to keep the House and sustain our majority, we would have to defy more than a century of midterm history. It’s only happened twice in 90 years that a sitting president has picked up or held seats for his party in that first two-year cycle. There’s a lot of reasons for it. It’s very, very difficult to overcome, and it looks like history will be kept tonight.

The losses were widespread, impacting several committee chairs and ranking members. Among those projected to lose their seats are Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., Rep. Tim Moore, R-N.C., and Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind. In Ohio, the results were particularly stark; if Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton, loses his race, the state’s congressional delegation will shift to an 8-7 majority in favor of Democrats. As of Wednesday, unofficial results indicated that challenger Knickerbocker was leading Turner by roughly 5,000 votes.

Republicans Trade Blame After Major Electoral Defeat

The scale of the defeat has triggered an intense blame game within the Republican ranks. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., publicly criticized the party’s performance on social media, telling leadership, Please do us all a favor and step aside so new leadership can take a truly conservative direction, with the courage to do the things we were elected to do. Other lawmakers have pointed to various factors for the loss, including concerns over inflation, fuel prices, and the handling of international conflicts.

While House Speaker Mike Johnson had previously told Fox News on October 8 that he might return to his hometown of Shreveport to start a lawn business if the majority were lost, he remains in office for the remainder of his term. It is currently unclear if he will serve out his full two-year term or leave early. Amid the transition, Johnson has committed to a peaceful transfer of power, labeling concerns that Republicans might contest the results as absurd. Looking toward the future, former Senate GOP leadership aide William Hoagland warned that the party may be entering a period of significant internal conflict, stating, I take Steve Bannon’s comment recently seriously that the Republican Party will be engulfed in a civil war over the future of the party.