House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) cast doubt on his future in GOP leadership for the first time Thursday, saying he is unsure “what my next chapter of life is” if Republicans lose the House majority.
“If God moves on our hearts and says we should, you know, go back to my hometown of Shreveport and start a lawn business, I’ll do that with equal fervor,” Johnson told Fox News. “I mean, I just want to be of my highest and best use.”
Johnson has previously been bullish in interviews that Republicans will keep the House majority, telling the Washington Examiner in September he predicted Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries would remain as opposition leader next year.
“I think, sadly for Hakeem Jeffries, his challenge is going to be different than mine. You know, he’s the minority leader in the next Congress going forward,” Johnson told the Washington Examiner in an interview at the Republican National Committee midterm convention.
But his comments on Thursday mark the first time Johnson has acknowledged Republicans could lose the majority.
Johnson also told Fox News’s Aishah Hasnie that if Republicans lose the House, it will be because voters were “misled.” When pressed on whether the blame will fall on his shoulders should Republicans lose the majority, Johnson said, “I don’t know how it could be. I mean, I’m traveling nonstop.”
Republicans are facing significant headwinds heading into the November elections, as polling shows them losing ground in several House races across the country amid anger over the rising cost of living due to tariffs and the Iran war.
Johnson is currently on a six-week campaign swing that will take him across more than 40 congressional districts in 22 states until Election Day. The speaker has visited some of the toughest districts on the map this week, including Pennsylvania’s 7th and 8th Congressional Districts and Michigan’s 7th and 10th Districts. He will also be making stops in Ohio’s 1st and 9th Congressional Districts, according to his office.
MIKE JOHNSON REVEALS ONE OF HIS ‘TOP THREE’ BATTLEGROUND HOUSE RACES
Johnson is also set to travel to Kentucky to fundraise for Ralph Alvarado, the Republican nominee for Kentucky’s 6th District. President Donald Trump won the district by 15 percentage points in 2024.
The Washington Examiner has reached out to Johnson’s team for comment.