Updated Nov. 4, 2026, 10:58 a.m. ET. Seat counts are unofficial and come from NPR’s tally of Associated Press race calls as of 9:48 a.m. ET Nov. 4.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., will not run to be House Republican leader in the next Congress, NBC News and the Associated Press reported Wednesday, a day after Democrats won the House majority. Citing four sources on the call, NBC News said Johnson told his staff on a phone call Wednesday morning that he will not stay on as Republican leader. Fox News Digital, citing two sources, reported that Johnson “revealed the news on an all-staff call,” and CBS News reported the same, citing one source.
The Associated Press also reported that Johnson “will not seek reelection as House Republican leader,” citing two people familiar with his plans who insisted on anonymity to disclose them. The Washington Examiner reported that Johnson “will not seek to become House minority leader in the next Congress,” citing sources familiar with the matter.
NBC News reported that Johnson’s “future plans are not known.” He remains speaker until the new Congress begins on Jan. 3, 2027.
Why the House Republican leader job is open
The reported decision follows Tuesday’s midterm elections, in which Democrats won control of the House. Roll Call reported that the Associated Press called the House for Democrats at 1:26 a.m. ET Wednesday, and NBC News projects Democrats won control. As of 9:48 a.m. ET, NPR’s tally of AP race calls showed 222 seats called for Democrats and 138 for Republicans, with 75 not yet called. A majority takes 218 seats. See our full 2026 House results breakdown.
Johnson has served two terms as speaker. He was elected in October 2023 after Republicans removed Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., from the job, according to NBC News. With Republicans in the minority, the party’s top House post becomes minority leader. Johnson’s reported decision would leave that job open, NBC News noted.
On election night in his hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana, Johnson told supporters that history favored the opposition party in a midterm, Axios reported:
“It’s only happened twice in 90 years that a sitting president has picked up or held seats for his party in that first two-year cycle. It’s very, very difficult to overcome, and it looks like history will be kept here tonight.”
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Nov. 3, 2026, as reported by Axios
Axios reported that Johnson said in October he planned to remain the top House Republican even if the party lost the majority. Axios also reported that President Donald Trump praised Johnson in a Tuesday interview with Politico but did not endorse him for the job. “He’s going to have to make that decision,” Trump said, according to Axios.
Who could replace Johnson as House Republican leader
Two names lead the reporting so far: House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.
- Jim Jordan: Fox News Digital reported Wednesday morning, before Johnson’s decision was reported, that Jordan “is throwing his hat in the ring to lead the chamber’s Republicans for the next two years,” citing two sources.
- Steve Scalise: Scalise “has begun informing his colleagues that he intends to run for the GOP’s top leadership spot,” Fox News Digital reported later Wednesday morning, citing two sources. Axios reported that he will announce a bid, citing a person familiar with his plans, and Bloomberg Government reported that he is running, citing a person familiar with his thinking. None of the reports cited an on-the-record statement from Scalise. The Washington Examiner reported that Johnson’s decision “clears the way” for Scalise and Jordan to enter the race.
Earlier Wednesday, Axios reported that Scalise and Jordan were “being floated as potential contenders.” Before the election, Politico reported on Oct. 28 that House Republicans were “keeping a close eye on two potential alternatives: Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise.”
How House Republicans pick their leader
House Republicans are scheduled to hold an internal election on Nov. 10 to choose their candidate for the post, NBC News reported. Candidates have until Nov. 6 to declare that they are running, according to Politico and Axios.
The bar is lower than in a race for speaker. Fox News Digital noted that a candidate for speaker must win a majority of the entire House, while “a minority leader only needs a majority of their party.”
What’s next
- Nov. 6: deadline for candidates to declare for House Republican leadership races, according to Politico and Axios.
- Nov. 10: House Republicans are scheduled to hold their leadership elections, according to NBC News, Politico and Axios.
- Jan. 3, 2027: the new Congress begins under the 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The AP reported that House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York faces a vote of his colleagues for speaker when it convenes.
Seventy-five House races were not yet called as of 9:48 a.m. ET, so the final size of the Republican conference that picks the new leader is not yet known.
Sources: reporting from NBC News, the Associated Press, the Washington Examiner, Fox News Digital, CBS News, Axios, Politico and Roll Call; seat counts from NPR’s tally of Associated Press race calls as of 9:48 a.m. ET Nov. 4, 2026.
