House Speaker Mike Johnson to step down after GOP midterm losses

WASHINGTON, House Speaker Mike Johnson will not seek reelection as the leader of the House Republican Party following the group's defeat in the recent midterm elections. Two people familiar with the decision said on Wednesday that Johnson has declined to pursue the position of House minority leader in the incoming Congress.

Johnson, who represents a district in the Shreveport, Louisiana, area, won reelection to his eighth term in office. He is expected to return to the chamber as a regular member of the House when the new Congress convenes in January. This move ends a period of leadership that began in 2023 and concludes with the shift of power to the Democratic majority.

The decision follows a sweep by Democrats, who captured the House majority and ended the slim Republican control. Johnson had previously expressed confidence that Republicans would defy the historical trend of voters punishing the president's party during midterm cycles. Those assertions did not hold as the election results came in, leaving Johnson without a clear path to retain his top position.

The transition sets the stage for an internal contest among House Republicans to select a new party leader. Members-elect are scheduled to gather in Washington next week to vote on that leadership question. The race is expected to be a familiar one, featuring two figures who previously sought the speaker's gavel: Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio.

Scalise, who served as majority leader, has cultivated support among the party's conservative wing, particularly among lawmakers from the business and energy sectors. Jordan, a former professional wrestler who chaired the Judiciary Committee, maintains strong backing from the hard right, including members of the Freedom Caucus. Both men attempted to win the speakership in 2023 but failed to secure a majority of votes when Kevin McCarthy of California was ousted.

Johnson assumed the role of speaker in 2023 after his colleagues removed McCarthy in a rare procedural maneuver. At the time, Johnson emerged as a consensus candidate after other candidates could not command sufficient support. Before taking the gavel, Johnson had built a reputation for organizing support for President Donald Trump's claims regarding the 2020 election, a stance he maintained prior to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

During his tenure, Johnson worked closely with the president, describing their communication as almost daily. He led the passage of the Republican Party's signature package of tax breaks and social services cuts, which Trump signed into law. Johnson also managed legislative procedures to protect the administration from contentious votes, including a recent effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, which was handled by sending lawmakers home.

With Johnson stepping aside, the powerful position of House speaker is now expected to pass to the Democrats. The party is preparing to nominate House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York for the role. Jeffries is second in line to the presidency. The election of the next speaker is among the first official votes of the new Congress, scheduled for Jan. 3, 2027.