Johnson Won't Seek Minority Leader as Jordan Moves to Take Over House GOP

House Speaker Mike Johnson told staff Wednesday morning he will not run to lead House Republicans in the next Congress, according to two sources who spoke to Fox News Digital. Within hours, Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio was calling colleagues to line up support for the minority leader job.

In a letter to House Republicans, Jordan called the day after the elections "staggering" and wrote: "I am battle-tested on the oversight front and I know the Democrats' playbook." Fox reports Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana is expected to be a significant rival, and Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota has told colleagues he will run for whip in the minority.

Johnson conceded Tuesday night at his party in Shreveport. He had told supporters that holding the House would require Republicans to "defy more than a century of midterm history," noting that only twice in 90 years has a sitting president picked up or held seats in the first two-year cycle. "It looks like history will be kept tonight," he said.

The stakes of the leadership race are practical. Whoever wins will likely serve as President Trump's top defender against Democratic investigations and possible impeachment efforts. Fox also notes that a minority leader needs only a majority of the party conference, while a speaker needs a majority of the full House, and that many moderate Republicans who opposed Jordan's 2023 speaker bid lost their seats Tuesday.

Notable projected GOP losses include Rep. Bryan Steil of Wisconsin, Rep. Tim Moore of North Carolina and Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana, with NRCC Chairman Richard Hudson also expected to lose, per Fox.