In the three years that Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) has served as speaker of the House, he has seen his party enjoy a landslide victory and suffer a crushing defeat. Owing to the defeat on Tuesday, his tenure is up on Jan. 3.
Johnson’s office confirmed to Blaze News that “the speaker will not be running for minority leader.”
‘I know what it will take to lead our Conference in the minority.’
The decision to depart his Republican leadership role in the House constitutes an about-face, given his assertion to CBS News last month that, “if, heaven forbid, we lost the majority, I would expect my colleagues would call upon me to continue to lead the conference in divided government.”
“My intention is to stay and serve, and that’s what I’ve been doing, as best I can,” Johnson added at the time.
Reps. Steve Scalise (La.) and Jim Jordan (Ohio) are two of the Republicans putting their names forward in House Republicans’ leadership elections next week.
A person said to be familiar with Scalise’s plans told Axios that he “is a proven and tested leader who is ready on day one. He’s spent his career unifying Republicans and he is prepared for the big legislative and oversight battles ahead. The conference knows him, how he fights, and that he’s a trusted leader.”
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Scalise has served as House majority leader since 2023 — the same year he dropped out of the running for the House speaker role.
Jordan also launched his bid on Wednesday, stating in a letter to colleagues obtained by CNN, “I am battle-tested on the oversight front and I know the Democrats’ playbook. I know what it will take to lead our Conference in the minority, to stay unified, and to coordinate and calibrate our response to the Democrats’ tactics.”
“With your help, I will use every minute of the next two years working to advance our Republican priorities and restore our majority,” he added.
Neither Scalise nor Jordan immediately responded to Blaze News’ request for comment.
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Jim jordan, Steve scalise, Mike johnson, House speaker, Republicans, Politics
