Mike Johnson told CBS News he intends to remain House GOP leader even if Republicans lose their majority in November — a telling admission from a speaker who appears more interested in clinging to his post than reading the room.
"In the unlikely scenario where we lost the majority, I would expect my colleagues would ask me to continue leading this conference, even if we have divided government," Johnson told CBS News' Robert Costa. He brushed off his own comment last week to Fox News — that he might go back to Shreveport and start a lawn business — as "tongue in cheek."
This is the uniparty laid bare. The same leadership class that presides over massive spending and failed oversight is now signaling it will hold power no matter what the electorate decides. Johnson's case for staying? He told Costa he's raised millions for Republicans this cycle and hit 40 districts in 22 states. In other words: he's useful to the fundraising apparatus. That's a case for the swamp, not for the country.
Follow the money. Republican campaigns, committees, and aligned groups have outspent Democrats by $400 million this cycle, according to AdImpact data reported by Fox News. The big spenders: Senate Leadership Fund, MAGA Inc., and a super PAC backed by Elon Musk. That money flows through the consultant class and the party infrastructure — the same infrastructure that benefits from keeping Johnson in the leader's office, majority or minority. Senate Majority PAC's Lauren French admitted to Fox News that Democrats are being outspent and forced into "belt-tightening decisions," but the Republican spending advantage hasn't translated into confidence at the top of the ticket.
The landscape is ugly. CBS News noted that "the unpopular war in Iran, high gas and diesel prices and other controversial Trump administration policies" are dragging the GOP down. A Daily Mail/YouGov poll found 49 percent of Americans think Trump is hurting Republican chances of retaining Congress, and Democrats currently lead the generic congressional ballot. The same poll, covered by cleveland.com, found 74 percent of Americans — including 72 percent of Republicans — believe Trump should accept the results if the GOP loses. Only 23 percent said they think he would.
Johnson pointed to his background as a "constitutional law attorney" and his defense of Trump during two impeachment trials as proof he can be a "happy warrior" in the minority. But being a happy warrior in the minority is exactly what the base doesn't want — they sent Republicans to the majority to fight, not to settle comfortably into the minority leader's office and its accompanying perks.
"I'm not sure what the case would be for any alternative," Johnson told Costa. "I intend to stay and lead."
The question for Republican voters in November isn't just whether they keep the House. It's whether the leadership that has failed to deliver on their priorities deserves to keep its grip on power — win or lose.
