Mike Johnson will not continue in Republican leadership of House
In a letter to his colleagues obtained by Politico, Johnson described the position as the "greatest professional honor" of his life and said the decision "was not an easy one."
Mike Johnson will step down from the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives following the defeat in the midterm elections. As reported by Fox News Digital, the Speaker of the House announced his decision on Wednesday morning during a private call with his team.
In the elections, the Republicans lost control of the House of Representatives, so the Democrat Hakeem Jeffries is expected to take Johnson's place, with Johnson remaining as minority leader. However, he plans to step aside from leadership. Democrats are projected to win more than 250 seats, while Republicans are expected to have close to 180.
In fact, according to the aforementioned media outlet, it is unclear whether Johnson will remain in the House of Representatives in the next Congress. His predecessor as Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, resigned his seat in late December 2023, about three months after his own Republican colleagues removed him from office.
In a letter to his colleagues obtained by Politico, Johnson described the position as the "greatest professional honor" of his life and said the decision "was not an easy one," stating that he plans to devote more time to his family: "After three years in this role, I believe the time has come for me to give them more of the attention and presence they so richly deserve."
" I make this decision with a heart full of gratitude and an abiding sense of pride in what we have accomplished together. I will always treasure the friendships we forged, the battles we fought together, and the victories we achieved against seemingly impossible odds," he added.
Who will replace Mike Johnson?
With Johnson out of leadership, a race is now underway to determine who will be the next minority leader in the House.
The current majority leader, Steve Scalise, is expected to run, as is the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Jim Jordan. However, there may be other Republicans interested in the position.
Johnson was elected Speaker of the House in October 2023, a move that came as a surprise. On Oct. 3, the House ousted McCarthy in a vote spearheaded by then-Congressman Matt Gaetz. It took Republicans 22 days to elect a successor, and they considered three candidates before settling on Johnson: Scalise, Jordan and Tom Emmer.
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