Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Wednesday downplayed Democrats’ strong election night, saying the results don’t predict the 2026 midterms.
Democrats won major races in Virginia, New Jersey, and New York City amid the ongoing government shutdown, arguing that the victories signal momentum heading into 2026, when control of Congress will be at stake.
But during a press briefing, Johnson said “there were no surprises” Tuesday night, adding: “What happened last night was blue states and blue cities voted blue. We all saw that coming, and no one should read too much into last night’s election results. Off-year elections are not indicative of what’s to come. That’s what history teaches us.”
Johnson also stated he didn’t think the loss “was any reflection about Republicans at all.”
“I think people are frustrated and angry as we are. I am. The president is, and we express that in different ways,” Johnson said. “But we’re looking forward to a great election running on our record, and we’re going to get all of our incumbents reelected and we’re going to add to the number here.”
President Trump acknowledged Wednesday that the government shutdown contributed to Republican losses, while Speaker Mike Johnson claimed that Democrats—who have opposed the GOP funding measure—are responsible for the stalemate.
“It’s very clear who’s responsible for this. And I think that when we go into next year, in the midterms, we’re very bullish about the outcome,” he said. “We have an extraordinary record to run on.”
The government shutdown hit a record 36 days on Wednesday after the Senate failed for the 14th time to pass a GOP stopgap bill to reopen the government.
