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US Politics

House Speaker Johnson says he won't run for minority leader after GOP midterm losses

Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Rep. Jim Jordan have announced bids, and House Republicans are scheduled to vote on leaders the Tuesday after election day.

House Speaker Mike Johnson in his official portrait
House Speaker Mike Johnson in his official portrait. Photo: United States Congress, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
6 news outlets reported this
Liberal2 outletsGOP fury, finger-pointing and leadership fights after lossesCenter2 outletsRepublicans weigh their path forward after lossesConservative2 outletsVoters rejected GOP policies but backed tax relief
Published 3 min read
Overview

Republicans took heavy losses in Tuesday's elections, and Democrats are set to take control of in January. By the Washington Examiner's count, as of Wednesday night the party had dropped seven seats on net, along with 38 House seats and five governorships. On Wednesday, Speaker Mike Johnson said he would not seek the post of House minority leader.

MS NOW reports he told staff on a private call, citing two House leadership sources. In a letter, Johnson wrote that his wife and four children had given up a lot and deserved more of his time. Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan each announced a bid for the job, repeating their 2023 contest over the speakership.

Other leadership posts are contested too. Axios reports that Whip Tom Emmer faces a challenge from Rep. August Pfluger, and Reps. Rudy Yakym and Brian Jack are vying to lead the National Republican Congressional Committee. House Republicans are scheduled to begin electing leaders on Tuesday by secret ballot.

Axios quotes anonymous GOP lawmakers who blame Iran for the defeat, and one also lists , and fuel prices.

Key figures
  • 38 House seats net Republican House loss as of Wednesday night, by the Washington Examiner's count — Washington Examiner
  • a net of seven Senate seats Republican Senate loss as of Wednesday night, by the Washington Examiner's count — Washington Examiner
  • five governorships Republican loss as of Wednesday night, by the Washington Examiner's count — Washington Examiner
  • fewer than 180 members projected House Republicans next Congress, per MS NOW — MS NOW
  • 90 votes effective target in the minority leader race, per MS NOW — MS NOW

Three sides of the story

Liberal2 outlets

GOP fury, finger-pointing and leadership fights after losses

Axios opens with Republicans waking up "in shock" after what it calls the biggest midterms wave in 50 years, then turning to rage. It quotes Rep. Greg Steube telling party leaders, "No, the polls were not wrong. You were."

One GOP lawmaker tells Axios the party should never have fought the Iran war before the midterms, and another lawmaker lists "Iran, ICE, inflation, fuel prices" among the causes. Axios lays out contested races for every top House GOP post, from Scalise versus Jordan to Yakym versus Jack. MS NOW leads with the leadership fight itself, citing two House GOP leadership sources on Johnson's decision and quoting Jordan: "offense, not defense, wins elections."

It says voter worry about the cost of living, gas prices and corruption drowned out the GOP message, and ties that to dissatisfaction with Trump. MS NOW adds that Scalise has been in leadership since 2014 and Jordan founded the Freedom Caucus, and says the contests "offer little evidence of a reckoning."

Center2 outlets

Republicans weigh their path forward after losses

The Hill reports that Republicans woke up Wednesday "licking their wounds" after a "shellacking" in Tuesday's midterms. It says many are working out the party's direction and how much to resist Trump while in the minority. A Journal opinion piece titled "Trump's Republican Carnage" says the damage from the midterms spreads across almost the whole country.

Conservative2 outlets

Voters rejected GOP policies but backed tax relief

The Washington Examiner reads the election through . After listing Republican losses as of Wednesday night, it says California's Proposition 40 wealth tax "appears headed for certain defeat," while Arizona's Proposition 316 on grocery taxes and Florida's Amendment 3 on property taxes passed. It argues the party's drubbing was "driven by its own bad policies, mistakes, and failed promises," and cites the Iran war, gasoline prices, inflation and tariffs.

It says Trump and Vance were not on the ballot, "but their brand was," and it takes issue with Vice President JD Vance's remarks on economics. The Washington Times headline says Republicans "claw at each other" after a "midterm debacle." The paper reports that Republicans are blaming one another and arguing over the party's next steps after the GOP lost control of the House and Senate.

What a side did not mention
  • Conservative outlets did not mentionSpeaker Johnson's decision not to run for minority leader Reported by Axios, MS NOW
All sources: 6 articles from 6 outlets

Liberal (2)

Center (2)

Conservative (2)

Related
US Politics · Elections 2026

Guardian: Cost of living is a top worry for voters as midterms near

The Guardian cites a long Ohio county strike and union leaders, while The New York Times says many voters blame President Trump's policies for inflation.

41 news outlets reported this · Liberal outlets only
1 min
Midterm elections

US elections halfway through a president's four-year term. The whole House, a third of the Senate and many governors are elected. In 2026 Election Day is November 3.

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House of Representatives

The lower chamber of Congress: 435 members elected every two years, with more seats for bigger states. It is the chamber that can impeach officials.

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Senate

The upper chamber of Congress: 100 senators, two per state, elected for six years. It confirms judges and ministers and approves treaties.

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GOP

“Grand Old Party”: a nickname for the Republican Party, used since the 1870s. GOP and Republican mean the same thing.

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ICE

Immigration and Customs Enforcement: the federal agency that arrests, detains and deports people who are in the US without legal status.

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Inflation and the CPI

How fast prices rise. In the US it is measured by the consumer price index, published monthly for a basket of goods and services. “Core” inflation leaves out food and energy, whose prices swing the most.

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Wall Street

A street in New York where the stock exchange stands. In the news it means US financial markets and the big banks and investment firms as a whole.

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Ballot measure

A law or constitutional change that voters approve or reject directly at the polls, alongside the candidates. Names vary by state: proposition, initiative, referendum, amendment.

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