House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) notified staff on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, that he will not seek the position of minority leader in the next Congress. The decision follows the 2026 midterm elections, in which CBS News and the Associated Press projected that Democrats will take control of the House of Representatives in January. Johnson had previously stated he intended to remain party leader even if Republicans lost their majority, but he reversed course following the election results.
The announcement comes amid a broader shift in congressional power, as Democrats also gained control of the U.S. Senate. The election results establish a divided government for the final two years of President Donald Trump’s term. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is positioned to potentially become the first Black speaker of the House when the new Congress convenes on January 3, 2027, provided he is elected by his colleagues.
Potential candidates to succeed Johnson as the top House Republican include House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) and House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH). House Republicans are scheduled to hold their leadership elections on November 10, 2026, which is one week after Election Day.
The scale of the Democratic gains in both the House and Senate represents a transition from two years of unified Republican control to a divided government. While specific seat counts were not finalized in the report, the Associated Press described the Democratic margins as "wide" and "decisive." For constituents, this means that any major legislation passed by the new Congress starting in January 2027 must navigate a Democratic-controlled House and Senate before reaching President Trump, who has already indicated he may use his veto power to block Democratic initiatives.
What happens next depends on the internal Republican elections scheduled for November 10, 2026, where the party will select its new leadership team. Following those internal votes, the full House of Representatives will convene on January 3, 2027, to formally elect a new Speaker. Until then, Johnson remains the sitting Speaker of the House. President Trump told Politico he hopes to avoid two years of legislative gridlock but emphasized his willingness to use vetoes if the new Democratic majority moves in a direction he does not support.