Johnson says he intends to stay on as GOP leader if party loses majority

House Speaker Mike Johnson says he plans to remain the Republican leader in the House even if his party loses its majority in the November elections, a sign of how he is positioning himself as the political climate turns against the GOP. In an interview with CBS News correspondent Robert Costa near Shreveport, Louisiana, Johnson said he expects fellow Republicans would ask him to keep leading them under divided government, and that he sees no strong alternative.

Johnson, speaker since 2023, remains optimistic about holding or expanding the narrow majority. Yet midterms typically favor the party out of power, and the war in Iran, elevated fuel costs and other Trump administration policies are weighing on Republicans. A recent Fox News remark about starting a lawn business back home had stirred talk of retirement, but Johnson called it a joke and said he expects to be speaker for at least two more years.

He cited his fundraising, his travel to 40 districts in 22 states, and his management of a restive caucus as qualifications.

Summarized by PolitiKool from CBS News’s reporting. Read the full story at CBS News →