House Speaker Mike Johnson will not stay on as Republican leader after GOP losses
Mike Johnson at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 16.Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call via Getty fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleNov. 4, 2026, 10:14 AM EST / Updated Nov. 4, 2026, 10:19 AM ESTBy Scott Wong, Julie Tsirkin, Sahil Kapur and Kyle StewartWASHINGTON — A day after Democrats won the House majority, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told his staff in a phone call this morning he will not stay on as Republican leader in the new Congress, according to four sources on the call.
FOR SUBSCRIBERSIran says Americans rejected Trump’s war as the world reacts to the midterms rout FOR SUBSCRIBERSVoters rejected Trump’s ‘booming’ economy narrative and the AI that underpins it FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘No one is going to outwork Hakeem’: Jeffries’ rise to the cusp of history has been rapidFOR SUBSCRIBERSAI chatbots cited dozens of spoofed campaign websites before midterm elections, researchers sayFOR SUBSCRIBERSWhy Devin Booker is unlike almost any superstar in the NBAFOR SUBSCRIBERSThe Data Dive: Steve Kornacki charts where Democrats sliced into GOP strongholdsFOR SUBSCRIBERSWhat Democrats plan to do with House majority: Investigate Trump and tackle affordabilityFOR SUBSCRIBERSElection takeaways: The Trump coalition implodes. What comes next?FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Everything is going to change’: Republicans begin grappling with how they lost so badly FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe battlegrounds our journalists are reporting fromFOR SUBSCRIBERSThe midterms are over, and Trump is over the midtermsFOR SUBSCRIBERSWhat is rhabdo? Rare muscle condition linked to marathon runner’s deathFOR SUBSCRIBERSDOJ is deploying a record number of monitors on Election Day FOR SUBSCRIBERSHow to watch election night: Key races, poll closing times, bellwether campaigns and moreFOR SUBSCRIBERSThe Data Dive: Steve Kornacki’s guide to early election night bellwethersSlide 1 of 1His announcement follows massive losses for his party in House races on Tuesday.
Johnson has served two terms as speaker, having been elected after Republicans ousted Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., from the top job in 2023.
FOR SUBSCRIBERSIran says Americans rejected Trump’s war as the world reacts to the midterms rout FOR SUBSCRIBERSVoters rejected Trump’s ‘booming’ economy narrative and the AI that underpins it FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘No one is going to outwork Hakeem’: Jeffries’ rise to the cusp of history has been rapidFOR SUBSCRIBERSAI chatbots cited dozens of spoofed campaign websites before midterm elections, researchers sayFOR SUBSCRIBERSWhy Devin Booker is unlike almost any superstar in the NBAFOR SUBSCRIBERSThe Data Dive: Steve Kornacki charts where Democrats sliced into GOP strongholdsFOR SUBSCRIBERSWhat Democrats plan to do with House majority: Investigate Trump and tackle affordabilityFOR SUBSCRIBERSElection takeaways: The Trump coalition implodes. What comes next?FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Everything is going to change’: Republicans begin grappling with how they lost so badly FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe battlegrounds our journalists are reporting fromFOR SUBSCRIBERSThe midterms are over, and Trump is over the midtermsFOR SUBSCRIBERSWhat is rhabdo? Rare muscle condition linked to marathon runner’s deathFOR SUBSCRIBERSDOJ is deploying a record number of monitors on Election Day FOR SUBSCRIBERSHow to watch election night: Key races, poll closing times, bellwether campaigns and moreFOR SUBSCRIBERSThe Data Dive: Steve Kornacki’s guide to early election night bellwethersSlide 1 of 1His future plans are not known.
Johnson’s departure will leave open the position of House minority leader. Republicans are scheduled to hold an internal election to select their candidate for the position next week, on Nov. 10.
Scott WongScott Wong is a senior congressional reporter for NBC News.
Julie TsirkinJulie Tsirkin is a correspondent covering Capitol Hill and the White House.
Sahil KapurSahil Kapur is a senior national political reporter for NBC News.
Kyle StewartKyle Stewart is a producer and off-air reporter covering Congress for NBC News, managing coverage of the House.
