House Speaker Mike Johnson told staff on a Wednesday morning phone call that he will not stay on as Republican leader in the new Congress, according to four people on the call who spoke with NBC News. The announcement came a day after Democrats won control of the House in the 2026 midterm elections, flipping the chamber and leaving House Republicans to serve in the minority come January 2027.
Johnson's exit leaves the House minority leader post wide open, as NBC News reported Wednesday. It's a reversal from his stance before Election Day, when, per CBS News, Johnson had said he intended to remain the party's leader even if Republicans lost the House. Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, was elected speaker in 2023, succeeding former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, as The Hill notes.
Jordan Jumps In, Scalise Watched Closely
Ohio Republican Jim Jordan, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, wasted little time. He officially launched his bid to be the next minority leader in a letter sent to colleagues Wednesday, according to ABC News's live midterm coverage. The outlet's reporting was first noted by WOAI / News 4 San Antonio as part of its broader coverage of Johnson's decision.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise was also expected to launch a bid, according to the same Hill report. Jordan previously ran unsuccessfully for House speaker in October 2023 after McCarthy's ouster, a bid chronicled by Fox News. That 2023 contest saw Scalise actually defeat Jordan in the Republican conference's secret-ballot nomination vote, only to withdraw a day later after failing to lock down enough support on the House floor, Axios recounted in its report on the current race.
Tight Timeline Before the Nov. 10 Vote
The clock on the current contest is short. House Republicans are scheduled to hold an internal election to pick their candidate for minority leader on Nov. 10, and candidates have until noon on Friday, Nov. 6, to formally declare, according to ABC News. Whether other Republicans will jump into the race or seek additional leadership posts isn't yet clear.
It remains unresolved who will ultimately win the Nov. 10 vote or how large the final field of candidates will be. What is clear is that Johnson's decision has opened a genuine leadership scramble inside a House GOP conference adjusting to life in the minority after Democrats' midterm win, a shift Decision Desk HQ had forecast before Election Day, per The Hill's earlier reporting on the leadership election schedule.
