WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson told staff members Wednesday morning that he will not run for minority leader in the new Congress after Republicans lost control of the House in the midterm elections.1,4,7,8
CBS News projected that Democrats will take control of the House in January with a wide majority, leaving Johnson without a path to power and opening a contest to lead Republicans in the minority. The speaker's gavel is expected to pass to Democrats, who are preparing to nominate House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, second in line to the president, with the election for speaker among the first votes of the new Congress on Jan. 3, 2027.1,7
CBS News cited a source familiar with the matter, The Associated Press cited two people familiar with his decision Wednesday who insisted on anonymity to disclose it, and The Hill cited two GOP staffers on the staff call. Republicans are expected to elect their new leader when members-elect gather in Washington next week, in a vote planned for Tuesday, Nov. 10, one week after Election Day, according to a GOP aide.1,4,7
In letters Wednesday, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan told colleagues that they want the job. "My number one goal as Republican Leader will be to win back the majority and I expect you to hold me accountable to that mission," Scalise said in a five-page letter, adding, "To succeed, we will need to be effective in both the oversight and legislative fights ahead, but we will also need to lay out a clear and optimistic vision for America."1
Scalise argued that "tested leadership is needed now more than ever" to counter Democrats' agenda and the onslaught of investigations. Jordan, in a two-page letter, said, "This is a staggering day for our Conference," and added, "For too long, we have operated without a clear plan to survive the hour or the day in front of us. That will not cut it against an emboldened and energetic Democrat majority."1
Jordan argued he was "battle-tested on the oversight front," a priority as Democrats prepare an investigative blitz into the Trump administration. "I know the Democrats' playbook," Jordan said, adding, "I know what it will take to lead our Conference in the minority, to stay unified, and to coordinate and calibrate our response to the Democrats' tactics."1
Johnson had said in October that he intended to remain as the party's leader if Republicans lost control of the House, but he also fueled speculation about his future. "If heaven forbid, if we lose this majority or whatever, I don't know what my next chapter of life is. I'm just open to it," he said Oct. 8 on Fox News. "If God moves on our hearts and says we should go back to my hometown of Shreveport and start a lawn business, I'll do that with equal fervor."1,8
After months expressing confidence that Republicans would retain the House, Johnson acknowledged the outcome Tuesday night in Shreveport, Louisiana. "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," Johnson said to supporters. "It's very, very difficult to overcome, and it looks like history will be kept here tonight." He also said, "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," in remarks from Shreveport on Tuesday night.1,8
Republicans first elected Johnson as speaker in October 2023 after colleagues ousted Kevin McCarthy of California in a first-of-its-kind coup in House history. Johnson, then a lower-level member of House leadership and little known nationally, was the party's fourth nominee after Reps. Tom Emmer, Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan failed to unite the party's factions, and Republicans reelected him to the speakership in 2025. He led with one of the slimmest majorities in modern times and drew close to President Donald Trump, candidly recounting their almost daily phone calls and chats, often offering his impressions in the president's voice.1,7
In office, Johnson led passage of the party's package of tax breaks and social services cuts that Trump signed into law and protected the president and his administration from votes including a recent effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth by sending lawmakers home. He had distinguished himself before the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by organizing support for Trump's false claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. It's unclear whether Johnson would've been able to stay in power even if he had wanted to, and one Republican told Axios that every member of GOP leadership would face a challenger following the election results, while another said there's a good chance Johnson would be ousted.7,8
The coming race could repeat the 2023 leadership battle, when Scalise and Jordan both sought the speakership after McCarthy was forced aside but failed to win majority support while splitting votes, allowing Johnson to emerge as the consensus candidate. Scalise, who has been in House GOP leadership for 12 years, has long courted backing from the party's conservative wing, particularly business and energy sector lawmakers, while Jordan, the former wrestler who led the Judiciary Committee, has long been preferred by the hard right, including some from the Freedom Caucus. Candidates are required to declare their intentions by Nov. 6.1,7,8
Jeffries is expected to become the next speaker when the new Congress convenes in January, though he has faced some resistance from his left flank, and Johnson is expected to remain in the House as a rank-and-file member from Louisiana after winning reelection from his Shreveport-area district for an eighth term. House Republicans plan to hold their leadership elections on Nov. 10, with the House speaker's election among the first votes of the new Congress on Jan. 3, 2027.7,8
