Mike Johnson Steps Aside After Republican Midterm Losses

Republican leadership in the US House of Representatives faces a major transition after Speaker Mike Johnson announced on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, that he would not seek the position of House minority leader. His decision followed substantial Republican losses in Tuesday's midterm elections, which gave Democrats projected control of both chambers of Congress.

According to NBC News, Johnson informed his staff that he would step aside just hours after the election results exposed the scale of his party's setbacks. His future political plans remain unknown.

Johnson served two terms as House speaker after Republicans removed former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, from the position in 2023. His departure from the leadership contest leaves an opening for Republicans seeking to reorganize their congressional leadership.

The Republican Party is scheduled to hold internal leadership elections on November 10. According to ABC News, candidates must declare their intentions by noon on November 6.

Ohio Republican Representative Jim Jordan has indicated to allies that he is expected to pursue the minority leader position, according to sources familiar with the matter cited by ABC News.

Democratic victories extended across several traditionally Republican states, helping the party regain control of the House and Senate. BBC reporting highlighted victories in Kansas, Texas, South Carolina, Maine, Iowa and Ohio.

US media characterized the Democratic gains as a "blue Tsunami," reflecting the scale of the party's electoral advances.

Kansas elected its first Democratic senator since 1932, while Texas selected a Democratic senator for the first time in more than 30 years. Abdul El-Sayed also became the first Muslim senator after winning in Michigan, according to the BBC.

The election produced several other historic outcomes. Georgia Democrat Kiesha Lance Bottoms was elected the state's first Black woman governor, while New Mexico's Deb Haaland became the first Native American woman elected governor. Chris Pappas of New Hampshire also secured a historic victory as the first openly gay man elected to the Senate.

Democratic victories in gubernatorial contests further expanded the party's gains. ABC News projected that Democrat David Crowley would defeat Republican Tom Tiffany in Wisconsin, becoming the state's first Black governor and succeeding outgoing Democratic Governor Tony Evers.

The Associated Press also projected that Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford would win the state's gubernatorial election, flipping the position to Democratic control.

Economic dissatisfaction and opposition to President Donald Trump's performance emerged as significant factors in the election. ABC News voter polling found that approximately six in 10 voters in House races disapproved of Trump's performance, including 53% who strongly disapproved.

Voters who strongly disapproved of Trump supported Democratic House candidates by an 89-percentage-point margin. Meanwhile, approximately two in 10 voters strongly approved of the president and backed Republican candidates by a 96-point margin.

ABC News reported that the proportion of voters strongly disapproving of a president's performance reached its highest level in House election polling dating back to 2008.

Trump acknowledged the economic pressure facing Republican candidates, particularly higher fuel prices associated with the Iran war. Speaking to Fox News, he said voters "didn't like it" when they had to pay more for gasoline.

He also described US involvement in the Iran war as a "very wise decision" during an interview with The New York Times, while acknowledging that the conflict and rising fuel costs had affected the election outcome.

Trump repeatedly argued that his absence from the ballot contributed to Republican losses. In one statement, he said, "I wasn't on the ballot".

During an interview with The New York Times, Trump expanded on that explanation.

"I wasn’t on the ticket, and because I wasn’t on the ticket, we couldn’t get enough people out to vote," Trump said.

He also acknowledged weaknesses among Republican candidates during an interview with The Wall Street Journal.

"could have been better," Trump said, referring to some Republican candidates.

Despite the setbacks, Trump recognized the Democrats' electoral performance during an appearance on Fox News.

"did a good job," Trump said, while acknowledging that he was surprised by the results.

He also pointed to the Republican campaign's large public events when discussing the outcome.

"tremendous rallies," Trump said, describing the Republican campaign events.

Trump indicated that cooperation with Democrats remained possible despite the change in congressional control.

"many, many things," Trump said when discussing potential areas of cooperation with Democrats.

However, he also signaled that he would use presidential authority to oppose legislation he considered unacceptable.

"veto power," Trump said during his interview with The Wall Street Journal.

Separately, the Alaska Senate contest remained unresolved in ABC News' latest update on November 4, with the winner yet to be projected.