Speaker Mike Johnson makes decision on future after Republicans lose House
Speaker Mike Johnson makes decision on future after Republicans lose House
Greg Hilburn, Shreveport TimesWed, November 4, 2026 at 3:55 PM UTC
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Speaker Mike Johnson of Shreveport-Bossier won't run to lead Republicans in the House after Democrats flipped the majority in a blue wave in the Nov. 3 midterms.
Johnson informed his staff of his decision Wednesday morning in the wake of massive Republican losses in Congress.
It's unclear whether Johnson intends to serve out his new term in the House after his reelection to Louisiana's 4th Congressional District Tuesday.
USA Today Network is seeking comment from the speaker.
The past five Republican speakers — Newt Gingrich, Dennis Hastert, John Boehner, Paul Ryan and Kevin McCarthy - have all either retired or resigned from Congress after they lost or gave up the gavel.
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Johnson, a reliable ally to President Trump, unexpectedly secured the gavel three years ago and has guided the House ever since while Republicans held the majority.
Speaker Mike Johnson wins reelection: Speaker Mike Johnson wins reelection, but loses House in Blue wave
In an interview with Fox last month Johnson suggested he might leave Congress "and go back to my hometown of Shreveport" if Republicans lost the majority and he lost the gavel.
“Heaven forbid, if we lose this majority or whatever, I don’t know what my next chapter of life is,” Johnson said in the interview with Aishah Hasnie. “If God moves on our hearts and says we should, you know, go back to my hometown of Shreveport and start a lawn business, I’ll do that with equal fervor. I mean, I just want to be of my highest and best use to God and to my country.”
Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Speaker Mike Johnson makes decision on future after Republicans lose House
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