House Speaker Mike Johnson will not run for minority leader as Republicans trade blame and launch competing bids for congressional leadership.
House Speaker Mike Johnson told his staff he won’t seek the minority leader post next year, sparking an immediate scramble for power as Republicans confront sweeping midterm defeats that returned control of Congress to Democrats.
The leadership fight follows election results where Democrats won the House majority and flipped control of the Senate, ending two years of unified Republican government in Washington.
A scramble for House Republican leadership
Johnson announced his choice during an internal conference call, CBS News reported, quickly opening the field for rivals seeking to steer the conference in the next Congress. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise confirmed he will run for Republican leader, telling colleagues, “We will need to be honest with ourselves about what happened.”
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan also entered the contest, describing the election as a staggering outcome for the party. Jordan told colleagues he is battle-tested after leading high-profile committee investigations against Democrats.
Blame turns to Trump, tariffs and the economy
Across the party, officials and donors began pointing fingers over the scale of the defeat, with much of the frustration aimed directly at President Donald Trump, Fox News reported. Republican donor Dan Eberhart called the result a direct loss for Trump, saying the president is now a lame duck and that candidates in upcoming cycles will seek distance from the White House. Several aides criticized Trump’s aggressive primary challenges against sitting senators, including Thom Tillis in North Carolina, as well as his backing of nominees like Ken Paxton in Texas and Darline Graham in South Carolina. Democrats swept both of those Senate seats, alongside victories in Kansas, Maine, Ohio, and Iowa.
Other lawmakers pointed to kitchen-table finances. Texas Senator Ted Cruz argued on his podcast that the defeat was a severe blow comparable to Watergate, saying the party failed to address cost-of-living pressures and appeared indifferent to voters’ daily economic struggles. House Republicans also criticized Trump’s tariffs, immigration enforcement, and an emphasis on political theater, such as efforts to rename natural landmarks like the Gulf of America and Lake of America. Trump outside adviser Alex Bruesewitz pushed back against that assessment, asserting that party candidates were uninspiring, lazy, and ineffective communicators.
White House response and debate over the Cabinet
Vice President JD Vance argued that voters turned to Democrats primarily over the war in Iran and its impact on household energy bills. Trump addressed the midterms during his first public appearance since the vote, visiting the construction site of a planned White House ballroom, where he thanked workers and signed a steel beam. In remarks to reporters, Trump said, “If I was on the ballot, we would have won,” adding that the enthusiasm seen at his campaign rallies couldn’t be transferred to individual candidates.
Trump said it was largely true that the conflict with Iran hurt Republican candidates by pushing energy prices higher. However, he defended the military campaign as essential to keep Iran from obtaining nuclear arms, stating he would make the same decision again. Behind the scenes, Trump has asked advisers whether Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should remain in his post after the heavy election losses, according to CBS News.
Unfinished counts in Alaska and Mississippi
Vote counting continues in several competitive races. In the Senate, where Democrats won Senate control by securing at least 54 seats, two contests remain uncalled. In Alaska, Republican Senator Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola are locked in a close count under the state’s ranked-choice voting rules. In Mississippi, an unexpectedly narrow race between Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democrat Scott Colom awaits the processing of affidavit ballots and late-arriving mail votes.
In the House, CBS News projects Democrats will hold between 251 and 268 seats after flipping more than two dozen districts. Republican attempts to shore up their numbers through mid-decade redistricting in Texas and other states failed to deliver seats. When the new Congress convenes in January 2027, House Republicans will enter the minority divided over their legislative tactics, leadership team, and ties to the Trump administration.
