Johnson to Republicans After Midterm Losses: Stand Firm on American Values

House Speaker Mike Johnson has a message for Republicans still smarting from last week's midterm defeat: this is no time to lose heart. In a video segment posted Saturday by PJ Media and sister sites including RedState, Johnson told fellow conservatives that now is not the moment to be forlorn about the election results, and that they must "dig in and stand our ground on American values." ^[1]

According to PJ Media's description of the clip, Johnson focused on the incoming members aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America who are about to take their seats, and warned Republicans against being downcast.

The remarks echo what Johnson said on election night. Conceding that Republicans had lost the House majority, he told supporters he shared their disappointment. "But we are never discouraged," the Louisiana Republican said, according to The Washington Times. ^[2] He argued that Americans remain alarmed by Democrats' embrace of socialism and predicted Republicans would win the chamber back in 2028. ^[2]

A new team for the minority

The loss was steep. Republicans gave up more than 40 House seats, CBS News reported, and Johnson did not seek to lead the party in the minority. ^[3] On Tuesday, House Republicans chose Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio as their leader for the next Congress, picking him over Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana by a vote of 106 to 73, according to sources familiar with the tally who spoke to CBS News. ^[3]

Jordan, a co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus and a close ally of President Trump, takes over a conference that is looking to rebuild. CBS News described his rise as a major shakeup for House Republicans. ^[3] For conservatives who wanted a fighter in the minority, the choice signals that the party intends to push back hard rather than retreat.

Johnson's call to stand firm is not merely a pep talk. Republicans still hold both chambers until Jan. 3, and they intend to use the time. ^[4]

The lame-duck to-do list

The Washington Times reported Saturday that Republicans are weighing what they can still pass before Democrats take control of the House and the Senate in January. ^[4] The House Freedom Caucus sent a letter on Monday to Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune urging them to make the most of the remaining weeks. ^[4]

The conservative group's top request is another party-line reconciliation package, a fast-track budget tool that needs only a simple majority in the Senate, paired with at least $1 trillion in spending cuts. ^[4] The caucus also wants federal spending held at current levels and opposes a large year-end omnibus spending bill. Congress faces a Dec. 11 deadline to keep the government funded. ^[4]

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The letter also asks lawmakers to write President Trump's border policies into law, require voter identification in federal elections, and press the Senate to confirm as many of the president's judicial and executive nominees as possible before Democrats inherit the majority. ^[4] Whether leaders can move a reconciliation bill in so short a window is an open question, but conservatives argue the alternative is leaving those priorities to a Democratic Congress.

What Democrats are planning

Across the aisle, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries is poised to become speaker when the new Congress convenes, which would make him the first Black lawmaker to hold the gavel, NPR reported. ^[6] Jeffries has said lowering costs for Americans will be the primary focus, including housing, education, health care and retirement benefits, and he has promised aggressive oversight of the Trump administration. ^[6] He has not committed to pursuing impeachment, according to NPR. ^[6]

The Democratic majority will also include a larger bloc from the party's far left, the very members Johnson singled out. NPR reported that six candidates endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America won House seats in reliably blue districts, according to race calls by the Associated Press. ^[5] They are Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez of New York, Melat Kiros of Colorado, Angela Gonzales-Torres of California, Donavan McKinney of Michigan and Chris Rabb of Pennsylvania. ^[5]

None of the incoming DSA-endorsed members has committed to backing Jeffries for speaker, NPR noted, an early sign of the pressure he may face from his left. ^[5]

That divide is the opening Johnson sees. Republicans have argued throughout the campaign that the DSA's agenda is far outside the American mainstream, and Johnson's message suggests the party will keep making that case from the minority. ^[1][2] His point to discouraged conservatives is simple: elections come and go, but the principles of faith, family, limited government and the Constitution do not change with one result. For Republicans heading into two years in the minority, the work starts now, in the lame duck, and continues toward 2028. ^[2][4]