Johnson steps aside
House Speaker Mike Johnson has decided against seeking the role of House Republican leader when the minority party is sworn in next year, according to a source familiar with the matter who spoke to CBS News. Johnson reportedly shared the decision with staff members on a call Wednesday morning.
The move follows heavy Republican losses in the midterm elections. CBS News has projected that Democrats will take over the House in January with a commanding majority, which would end Johnson's tenure in the speaker's chair.
Scalise and Jordan make their pitches
Within hours, two of the party's best-known figures told colleagues in writing that they want to lead House Republicans. Majority Leader Steve Scalise sent a five-page letter, and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan sent a two-page letter that CBS News obtained.
"My number one goal as Republican Leader will be to win back the majority and I expect you to hold me accountable to that mission," Scalise wrote. He argued that Republicans will need to be effective on both oversight and legislation, and that "tested leadership is needed now more than ever" to counter the Democratic agenda and a wave of investigations.
Jordan began his letter by calling it "a staggering day for our Conference." He wrote that Republicans have "operated without a clear plan to survive the hour or the day in front of us," and he said that approach would not work against "an emboldened and energetic Democrat majority." He also described himself as "battle-tested on the oversight front," a skill likely to matter as Democrats prepare investigations of the Trump administration, according to CBS News.
A GOP aide familiar with the planning told CBS News that House Republicans intend to hold their leadership elections on Tuesday, Nov. 10, a week after Election Day.
A shift from earlier comments
Johnson's announcement departs from what he told CBS News in October, when he said he intended to remain the party's leader if Republicans lost the House. Before that, he had stirred speculation about his future in a Fox News interview on Oct. 8. "If heaven forbid, if we lose this majority or whatever, I don't know what my next chapter of life is. I'm just open to it," he said, adding that if "God moves on our hearts" he could return to his hometown of Shreveport and start a lawn business.
On Tuesday night, speaking from Shreveport, Johnson reflected on his time as speaker. "It's been the honor of my life to serve as the 56th speaker of the House — not a position we ever aspired to or expected to have," he said.
How he got the gavel
Republicans chose Johnson as speaker in October 2023, after weeks of turmoil that followed the historic ouster of Kevin McCarthy. Johnson was a little-known lawmaker then, and he became the party's fourth nominee only after Reps. Tom Emmer, Scalise and Jordan each failed to unite the conference's competing factions. Republicans reelected him as speaker in 2025.
Now Scalise and Jordan, two of the figures who fell short in that earlier contest, are competing to lead the party's smaller caucus. Republicans are expected to settle the question at their Nov. 10 elections, according to the GOP aide.
