BANGOR, Maine – House Speaker Mike Johnson says Republicans will retain their U.S. House majority, even as Democrats build momentum in the final weeks of the midterm campaign that will decide control of Congress.
Johnson points to the crowds he has encountered while campaigning nationwide, the strength of Republican candidates and incumbents he describes as “workhorses,” and nearly $500 million raised for House Republicans.
He also says his confidence is rooted in faith.
“We run to win, and that’s biblical: You run to win,” Johnson told The Associated Press during a campaign stop in Maine.
“And I believe that we will.”
As speaker, Johnson ranks among the nation’s most powerful elected officials and stands second in the presidential line of succession. He recently joked to Fox News that he could return to his hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana, and open a lawn-care business if Republicans lose power on Nov. 3. Still, Johnson expects to defy the long-running midterm pattern in which the president’s party loses seats in Congress.
Johnson, who has grown increasingly close to President Donald Trump and regularly takes his late-night calls — the two spoke the evening before Trump held a rally in Alaska — remains notably upbeat. That optimism comes despite voter anger over high prices, the Iran war and the difficulty of managing one of the narrowest House majorities in modern history.
During his three years as speaker, Johnson has repeatedly overcome predictions that his coalition would collapse. He has kept the razor-thin Republican majority aligned behind Trump’s priorities, including passage of a sweeping package of tax cuts and reductions in social programs. On many votes, Republicans have had no room for defections.
“So many times everybody had written off, there was no way he was going to be able to pull off a particular vote,” said Republican Rep. Mark Harris of North Carolina, who joined Johnson on the campaign swing. “Yet he always seems to pull out the win in the end.”
Johnson was less aggressive in predicting a larger majority than he has been in the past. But as he prepares to visit more than 20 states and 40 congressional districts before November, he said the political atmosphere reminds him of the 2024 election, when Republicans won control of both Congress and the White House.
“It’s not going to be a giant majority,” he said. “But I genuinely believe that we will have a working majority.”
An accidental speaker gains confidence through his alliance with Trump
Johnson arrived at the speaker’s office unexpectedly in 2023, when House Republicans turned to him after a group of GOP rebels removed his predecessor, then-Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.
At the time, Johnson was a relatively junior member of House leadership. He had, however, established himself as a staunch Trump ally before the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by helping organize support for Trump’s false claims that widespread fraud had cost him the election to Democrat Joe Biden.
Since becoming speaker, Johnson has moved closer to Trump’s inner circle. He attended a UFC event with the president in New York and later presented Trump with a speaker’s gavel as Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” into law. Critics viewed the gesture as symbolic of Johnson surrendering the authority of a constitutionally coequal branch of government.
More recently, Johnson abruptly sent lawmakers home early instead of allowing a vote sought by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The move came as lawmakers attempted to stop the Iran war, which Congress has not authorized.
Over coffee in Bangor after campaigning with House candidate Paul LePage, a former governor, Johnson dismissed claims that Congress has weakened under his leadership as Trump has sought to expand executive power.
“Absolute nonsense,” Johnson said.
Pointing to Article One of the Constitution, which defines Congress’ powers, Johnson said lawmakers had not surrendered their authority to the president. “We did not yield Article One authority to the president,” he said. Instead, he argued, Republicans used Congress’ powers to advance their priorities over Democratic opposition.
With the House majority hanging in the balance, Trump’s agenda is increasingly at risk
Johnson has focused the election on Democrats he portrays as “communists.” A handful of far-left liberals, backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, are on the ballot.
U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the House Democratic leader who is in line for the speaker’s gavel if his party sweeps to power, is preparing a first-100 days agenda for when the new Congress convenes in January, if there is a change in control.
What the Republicans will do if they retain power is less defined.
“Lots of plans,” Johnson said, “along the same course of what we’ve been doing — less taxes, less regulation.”
Trump “wants to go big for his legacy,” he said. “We have big things on the horizon that we can do.”
The president has essentially purged the House GOP ranks of those perceived to be disloyal. Among them are Massie, who lost his primary, and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia retired early after breaking with Trump over release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Pressed how he would keep Republicans in line, Johnson said he is preparing to change the House rules if he returns as speaker.
“There’s going to be some changes that are going to make the machinery work smoother,” he said.
Praying for the speaker, and the country
Faith has often been strong among House leaders. Two former speakers, Nancy Pelosi and Newt Gingrich are Catholics, as is John Boehner, who invited Pope Francis to address Congress.
Johnson, a former constitutional lawyer who was first elected alongside Trump in 2016, is expected to win his own reelection next month.
“My faith is a huge component of how I think and how I act and what I do,” said Johnson, who led a public prayer on the National Mall as part of the nation’s 250th anniversary.
He is drinking lots of coffee these days, he said, cutting back on the Celsius, and still has 1,413 unread text messages, a slight dip from the frightful number reported a few months ago by The Wall Street Journal.
One text is from someone praying for him.
Johnson said he is grateful for the outpouring of prayers he receives, for him and the country.
“I pray for God’s will. And I believe God’s will is for us — and not the communists — to be in charge of America,” Johnson said.
“And it does say in the New Testament, you run the race to win,” he said, citing 1 Corinthians 9:24. “This is a biblical admonition. So we will.”
