Mike Johnson
The House Speaker is campaigning across 40 districts in more than 20 states, dismissing polls that point to a Republican defeat and insisting he will still hold the gavel in the next Congress.
Mike Johnson is less than three weeks from election day, running an October blitz across 40 districts in more than 20 states with stops for David Valadao in California and Paul LePage in Maine. He dismisses polling that points to a Republican defeat, insists the GOP will keep its narrow House majority and that he will be speaker in the next Congress, and has briefed Trump with a clinical analysis of tossup contests. On Fox News he mused he might open a lawn business in Shreveport if Republicans lose the House.
His affordability pitch rests on the tips-and-overtime tax-cut bill, the centerpiece of the midterm agenda behind $22 million in advertising and framed as "more working families keeping more of what they earn." The bill's costs were partly defrayed by Medicaid and SNAP reductions that have driven food insecurity in Arizona, and polling suggests the measure may not be moving voters as the spending cuts offset the gains.
Against House Democrats' 100-day agenda for a potential majority, he casts Republicans as "putting the conditions in place for a strong America again" through tax and spending cuts and labels the Democratic platform socialist.
His break with the White House is over its plan to livestream the December 3 execution of Nidal Hasan, which he warns could become "a recruiting tool for future terrorists." He is managing his own caucus, too: Nicole Malliotakis wants him to vet two incoming DSA members for national security risk and limit their committee and intelligence access; Don Bacon and Josh Gottheimer have asked him, by bipartisan letter, to pledge in writing to accept the November 3 results and seat certified winners by January 2027; and he has delayed Thomas Massie's resolution to impeach Pete Hegseth until the lame-duck session that starts November 9.
On their plate
Johnson is running an October blitz covering 40 districts in more than 20 states, leveraging a significant fundraising advantage over Democrats, with stops for Rep. David Valadao in California's 22nd District and Paul LePage in Bangor, where he called the race a contrast "between common sense and crazy" and labeled Democrat Matt Dunlap a socialist on "the crazy train." He dismissed polling that suggests a Republican defeat in the November 3 midterms, framed the election as a contrast between "two completely different worldviews for America," and said he is "very bullish" about election night, predicting Republicans will defy historic trends and grow their narrow majority. He insists he will be speaker in the next Congress, refusing to discuss losing scenarios, and has briefed Trump with a clinical analysis of tossup contests.
Johnson is leading House Republicans' promotion of the tips-and-overtime tax-cut bill as the centerpiece of their midterm affordability agenda, backed by a $22 million advertising campaign and framed as "more working families keeping more of what they earn." He promotes the One Big Beautiful Bill Act's Working Families Tax Cuts amid shaky polling and an affordability crisis, citing figures like 68 percent of Louisiana workers benefiting from No Tax on Overtime and 700,000 seniors from No Tax on Social Security. The bill's costs were partially defrayed by Medicaid and SNAP reductions that have driven food insecurity in Arizona, and polling suggests the measure may not be motivating voters as intended as spending cuts offset gains.
Johnson responded to House Democrats' 100-day agenda for a potential majority by saying Republicans would continue "putting the conditions in place for a strong America again" by cutting taxes and federal spending, and characterized the Democratic platform as a far-left socialist agenda. He countered Hakeem Jeffries' midterm agenda rollout in kind, characterizing the Democratic goals of restoring ACA tax credits, reversing Medicaid cuts and investigating the White House as socialist policies.
Johnson broke with the Trump administration's plan to livestream the December 3 execution of Nidal Hasan, warning it could create "a recruiting tool for future terrorists." He told reporters he needs to tell the White House that not all of his House colleagues favor the idea.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis has urged Johnson to examine whether two incoming DSA members, Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez, pose a national security risk and to limit their committee assignments and access to intelligence. Reps. Don Bacon and Josh Gottheimer have addressed a bipartisan letter to him seeking written pledges to accept the November 3 midterm results, seat state-certified winners on the House Clerk's roll by January 2027, and oppose any delay of seating member-elects with valid certificates. Johnson says he spoke privately with Reps. Van Orden, Mace, Ogles and Fine about their "tone and message" after their anti-Muslim rhetoric but declined to publicly condemn the statements, and he has delayed Rep. Thomas Massie's privileged resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth until the lame-duck session beginning November 9.
Key relationships
Johnson has briefed Trump with a clinical analysis of tossup midterm contests and was set to join Trump's September 29 White House meeting with AI company executives, while breaking with the administration over its plan to livestream the Nidal Hasan execution, saying he needs to tell the White House that not all of his House colleagues favor the idea.
Johnson countered Jeffries' midterm agenda rollout, characterizing the Democratic goals of restoring ACA tax credits, reversing Medicaid cuts and investigating the White House as socialist policies, as Jeffries claims his party is poised to take back the House.
Johnson campaigned for Valadao in California's 22nd District, warning voters that "the Marxists are on the march to our institutions" and that "the institution they have in their crosshairs is the United States Congress."
Johnson campaigned for LePage in Bangor, Maine, calling the race a contrast "between common sense and crazy" and labeling LePage's Democratic opponent Matt Dunlap a socialist on "the crazy train."
Malliotakis has directly urged Johnson to examine whether two incoming DSA members pose a national security risk and to limit their committee assignments and access to intelligence if Republicans keep the House.
Johnson delayed the vote on Massie's privileged resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth until the lame-duck session beginning November 9, postponing a difficult vote ahead of the midterms.
Bacon directly addressed a bipartisan letter to Johnson seeking written pledges to accept the November 3 midterm results, seat state-certified winners on the House Clerk's roll by January 2027, and oppose any delay of seating member-elects with valid certificates.
Gottheimer joined Bacon in addressing a bipartisan letter to Johnson seeking written pledges to accept the November 3 midterm results and seat state-certified winners on the House Clerk's roll by January 2027.
Raskin signaled that Democrats would take the delayed "pop-up impeachment" of Pete Hegseth seriously if that is all Johnson leaves them in the lame-duck session.
