Mike Johnson won't run for House minority leader as GOP loses the chamber

Mike Johnson is bowing out. The House speaker told staff on a call that he will not run for House minority leader, according to Punchbowl founder Jake Sherman. Johnson also told the room he had spoken with President Donald Trump.

The door is now wide open for Jim Jordan. The Ohio Republican is expected to announce his own bid for the minority leader post, Sherman reported. That would put a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus in line to lead a much smaller Republican conference.

The timing tells the story. Democrats seized majorities in both the Senate and the House, handing control of Congress to the other party — which is why Johnson's title was already set to shrink from speaker to minority leader. Rather than fight for the demoted role, he's stepping away.

It's a sharp reversal from Johnson's own prediction. He had insisted Republicans would take back the House and quote, finish the job, in the next cycle. Instead, the gavel slips away and the man holding it is walking off before the fight even starts.

Reaction to the midterm wipeout rolled in from abroad. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said voters made their choice clear and hoped the new Congress keeps backing Ukraine while pressing Russia harder, while Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum dodged broad commentary but cheered the wins of Mexican American candidates in Texas and California. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei called the results a clear message to Washington.

What happens next: watch Jordan. If he jumps in as expected, Republicans will have their answer for who leads them in the minority — and Johnson's next move becomes the open question.