If Johnson Goes, Who Runs House GOP?

BY OLIVIA BEAVERS

WASHINGTON—House Republicans are publicly projecting optimism about keeping their majority after the midterms. Privately, many acknowledge it is possible the GOP loses the House. In that scenario, they say, the party might look to a new leader.

Losing the majority would open the door to jockeying among senior Republicans to push aside House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) to lead the party, more than half a dozen House Republicans said.

That scenario has put the spotlight back on Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana, Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota and Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Those three lost in the party fight in 2023 to succeed Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California, when Johnson emerged as the pick—and are considered potential front-runners again.

All three are building bridges with colleagues and raising money for candidates, members said.

At the same time, the potential candidates are rejecting the idea that they are focused on anything but winning the midterms.

Republicans have a 218-214 edge, and the president’s party has lost House seats in every midterm since World War II, except for 1998 and 2002. No modern Republican speaker has stayed atop the conference after the party became the minority.

“If there were a flip, do I think our current leadership team would stick around? I would never claim that,” said longtime GOP Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas.

A spokesman for Johnson didn’t respond directly. Instead he said House Republicans “are ignoring the noise and charging forward to a decisive victory in the midterms.”

Here is a look at the three seen as best positioned to succeed Johnson.

Steve Scalise

Scalise has served in various House GOP leadership positions. The Louisiana Republican has bounced back after suffering life-threatening injuries from being shot at a congressional baseball practice in 2017 and receiving a cancer diagnosis in 2023. He has also worked with Johnson to pass President Trump’s tax-and-spending bill.

“Steve, he’s waiting to be a speaker a long time…and his health was the difference last time. Next term is Steve’s time, if it is his time,” said retiring Rep. Ryan Zinke (R., Mont.), who noted that Scalise’s health has improved. Zinke said Emmer and Jordan could also be in the running but said a Trump endorsement could keep Johnson in the top role.

A Scalise spokeswoman said he “fully intends to continue his role in House Republican

CEDENO/ REUTERS

leadership.” She said Scalise is “laser focused on growing our Republican majority.”

Scalise raised $35.5 million in 2025, putting $15.3 million toward Republican campaigns, a person familiar with the matter said.

If Republicans lose the majority and Johnson chooses not to try to stay on as minority leader, Scalise would be a “great fit for us,” said Rep. Mike Haridopolos (R., Fla.).

Jim Jordan

Jordan’s colleagues see signs he is preparing for a potential bid. Jordan, the only one out of the three who isn’t in elected leadership, has boosted fundraising for the National Republican Congressional Committee, endorsed early in primaries and campaigned aggressively for incumbents. His is among the most soughtafter endorsements in the House GOP.

Jordan has transferred over $1.5 million to the House GOP campaign arm this year, a person familiar with the Jordan operation said. “I am not thinking about that,” Jordan said about leadership speculation.

A co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus, Jordan built his reputation as an insurgent. He challenged McCarthy for minority leader in 2018 before aligning with him. After McCarthy’s removal in 2023 as speaker, Jordan’s run exposed deep party rifts. Lawmakers who opposed him reported receiving threats, and some criticized Jordan for not forcefully denouncing the pressure campaign.

Tom Emmer

Emmer, who previously served as the head of the House GOP campaign arm, was the third to seek the speakership after McCarthy’s ouster. But his candidacy collapsed after Trump attacked him as a “globalist RINO,” and evangelical conservatives raised concerns about his past support for a same-sex marriage bill.

After that setback, Emmer worked to repair his relationship with Trump and his allies, becoming far more vocal about his support of the president. Emmer is also active politically, raising nearly $30 million for the party through the end of the fourth quarter of 2025, according to a person familiar with the matter.

He called a run at minority leader “an absolutely ridiculous question.” He said Republicans will hold the House in November and the “team remains focused on the mission.”

AARON SCHWARTZ/ PRESS POOL