Mike Johnson Leaves House Republican Leadership Race After Midterm Defeat

Republicans' loss of the House majority in Tuesday's midterm elections set off the leadership change. Democrats won control of the chamber, NBC News reported, leaving Republicans to choose who will lead them in the minority.

The result was part of a broader Democratic sweep of Congress, according to Associated Press. Its coverage described Democrats preparing to address high living costs and confront President Donald Trump during his final years in the White House.

On November 3, voters delivered the House majority to Democrats. The result changed the job facing the next Republican leader: leading the minority rather than running the chamber, as reflected in NBC News coverage.

On the morning of November 4, House Speaker Mike Johnson told staff in a phone call that he would not remain Republican leader in the new Congress, according to four sources cited by NBC News.

The decision concerns the next Congress, rather than an immediate departure from the speakership. NPR News reported that Johnson would step aside as the top House Republican come January.

Attention then turned to his potential successors. Representative Jim Jordan planned to run for minority leader, Times now reported, citing another news report. The Hill reported that House Majority Leader Steve Scalise would also run, setting up a likely contest with House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan.

Johnson is not pursuing the minority leader role. The accounts from CBS Top Stories and the New York Post both describe him telling staff that he would not seek that position in the next Congress.

Scalise and Jordan are the prospective rivals identified in the coverage, but no winner has been reported. On the Democratic side, Hakeem Jeffries is in line to become speaker when the party takes control in January, according to Deadline Hollywood.

The next decision is who House Republicans choose to lead them in the minority. The Hill described the expected Scalise-Jordan contest as likely to be contentious. The supplied coverage does not give a date for the leadership vote or a count of either candidate's support.

The other pending change is the transfer of House control in January. Deadline Hollywood reported that Jeffries is in line for the speakership, while Johnson will no longer lead House Republicans.