US House Speaker Mike Johnson will step down as Republican leader following his party’s crushing midterm election defeat, his spokesman confirmed to AFP on Wednesday. Asked whether reports that Johnson would step aside were correct, his spokesman responded in a one-word email: “Accurate.”
The Louisiana Republican told staff of his decision on Wednesday morning, a day after Democrats seized control of both chambers of Congress. Johnson, 54, had led the House since October 2023, when he emerged as a compromise candidate after weeks of Republican infighting following the ouster of his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy.
His decision not to seek the minority leadership clears the way for a contest between current House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan, both fellow conservatives and Trump loyalists. President Donald Trump praised Johnson’s leadership and said he would “stay out of” the race to find a successor, with the vote expected on Tuesday next week. Trump said he did not ask Johnson to step down.
Johnson won reelection to his Louisiana seat, and his decision does not mean he is immediately resigning as speaker or leaving Congress.
Meanwhile, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries formally sought his colleagues’ support on Wednesday to become the next speaker, a position he is widely expected to secure when the new Congress convenes in January.
Source: Gulf News (AFP)
