Speaker Mike Johnson has told his staff that he will not seek the House minority leader position, according to ABC7 Bay Area, which cited multiple sources familiar with the call. His decision came on Wednesday, hours after Republicans lost their majorities in Tuesday's midterm elections.
ABC News projects that Democrats will win enough seats to take control of the House of Representatives, and the outlet also projects that Democrats will take the Senate. With Republicans heading into the minority, the party's leadership posts are now open — and the contest to fill them is already underway.
Why it matters
The minority leader job is a different role from the one Johnson holds now. As Speaker, he set the chamber's agenda; as minority leader, he would lead the opposition instead. His choice to step aside leaves the direction of the House Republican conference to be decided by his colleagues at a moment when the party is absorbing a difficult set of losses.
ABC7 Bay Area reports that Johnson's announcement came just hours after Republicans suffered deep losses in Tuesday's midterms. The timing puts the leadership question at the center of the party's response to the results.
Jordan moves quickly to enter the race
Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan has formally announced his bid to be the next minority leader, according to a letter he sent to colleagues on Wednesday that ABC News obtained and ABC7 Bay Area reported. Before that letter, sources had indicated to ABC7 Bay Area that Jordan was expected to run.
In the letter, Jordan described the election outcome as "a staggering day for our Conference" and said Republicans must learn from the results as they look ahead, according to ABC7 Bay Area. He also presented himself as "battle-tested on oversight" and argued that Republicans need to promote their policies.
The calendar is tight. House GOP leadership elections are scheduled for Nov. 10, and candidates have until noon on Nov. 6 to declare, ABC7 Bay Area reports. That gives members only a short window to organize before the vote.
A night of firsts alongside the losses
The midterms also produced historic outcomes. ABC7 Bay Area reports that voters are projected to have elected the country's first Black, Native American and Hispanic female governors, among other firsts. ABC News' senior political correspondent Rachel Scott broke down what is known about turnout and the messages voters were sending with their ballots, according to the outlet.
In Wisconsin, Democrat David Crowley is projected to win the governor's race, defeating Republican Tom Tiffany and succeeding outgoing Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, ABC7 Bay Area reports. Crowley spoke at an election night event in Milwaukee on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026.
Senate races still being counted
Not every result is settled. ABC7 Bay Area's live results coverage links to reporting from other outlets showing that Senate contests in Mississippi and Alaska may take days or weeks to resolve. Politico reported that the timing of those outcomes remained uncertain.
In Mississippi, WLOX reported that incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democrat Colom were running neck and neck with most votes counted. The BBC described Mississippi as locked in a tight Senate race while the count continued. Those races are separate from the overall projection that Democrats will control the Senate, and the final margins in individual states may not be known for some time.
For House Republicans, the immediate question is who leads them into the new Congress. Johnson has taken himself out of that contest. Jordan has put his name in. Other members have until Friday at noon to join them, with the conference vote set for Nov. 10.
