US House Speaker Johnson will not seek minority leadership post

US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson will not run for election as House minority leader, following the loss of his Republican majority in this week’s midterm elections, a source said on Wednesday. Johnson, who has struggled to maintain control of a narrow 218-214 Republican majority since becoming speaker three years ago, announced his decision to staff on Wednesday morning, according to a person familiar with the matter. The Louisiana Republican spent much of the 2026 midterm campaign insisting that Republicans would expand their House majority, only to see Democrats take control of both the House and Senate on Tuesday in a sweeping repudiation of Republican leadership under President Donald Trump. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan announced plans to seek the minority post in party leadership elections expected on November 10. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise was also expected to seek the position. Jordan, an Ohio Republican, announced his candidacy in a letter to colleagues emphasizing law and order, low taxes and traditional values as priorities. “To restore our majority, we must restore voters’ faith in our ability to deliver on these principles,” Jordan said in the letter. Jordan and Scalise each mounted failed bids to become House speaker after Republican hardliners ousted Kevin McCarthy from the top chamber post in 2023. The task of replacing McCarthy paralyzed the House for weeks until Johnson finally emerged as a compromise candidate.