Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is not planning on remaining House Republican leader as the Democrats take firm control of the House. LSU-Shreveport Political Science Professor Jeff Sadow says most Speakers do not try to take the step down to minority leader, but the decider for Johnson was just how big of a swing the House took toward the Democrats.
“It’s a different environment that he’d operate in as a party leader; and he may think somebody else would be better navigating such a large gap now,” Sadow noted.
NBC News projects an 81-seat Democratic majority in the House.
Johnson rose from state representative to Speaker of the House in just eight years, serving the shortest tenure of any House member elected Speaker since 1883. Sadow says he navigated a tumultuous era of politics.
“The fact that he lasted three years, when some people didn’t know if he would last more than three months; I think that’s a credit to his service,” Sadow said.
Sadow says he does not expect the Republican Party to completely toss out its current House leadership after its loss in the midterms. He says the poor showing in the polls was a result of the current political environment, and Majority Leader Steve Scalise has the best chance of filling Johnson’s role in the party.
“Steve Scalise has got a pretty decent chance of, next week, being appointed Minority Leader. It looks like he’ll have some competition, but he’s been around quite a while. I think he’d be the best bet at this point,” Sadow explained.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan from Ohio is also expected to run for Minority Leader. Republicans are scheduled to hold an internal election to select their candidate for the position on November 10th.
