Mike Johnson won't lead House Republicans after midterm rout; Scalise and Jordan bid for the job

Speaker Mike Johnson will not run to lead House Republicans in the new Congress, and two of his deputies, Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan, have already declared for the job, CBS News reported on Wednesday, after Democrats won control of both the House and the Senate in the US midterm elections.

At the same time, Vice President JD Vance has blamed the war with Iran for the defeat, and President Donald Trump has called that view "largely true".

For every seat and the races still being counted, see our US midterm results 2026 page, in Pakistan time.

Johnson steps aside

Johnson told his staff on a call on Wednesday morning (Wednesday evening in Pakistan) that he would not stand for minority leader when the new Congress sits in January, CBS reported, citing a source familiar with the call. On election night he had said Republicans "will not be deterred by the outcome of one election". Trump called Johnson "fantastic" and said he had not asked him to step aside.

The race to replace him

• Steve Scalise, the current House Majority Leader, told colleagues in a five-page letter that the result "was far worse than any of us expected" and that "tested leadership is needed now more than ever".
• Jim Jordan, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, wrote in a two-page letter that it was "a staggering day for our Conference" and that he was "battle-tested on the oversight front", as Democrats prepare to investigate the Trump administration.

Trump declined to back either man.

In the Senate, Majority Leader John Thune is expected to keep his party's support as leader for two more years, now as minority leader, CBS said. He and Trump spoke after the results.

'The reason we lost': Iran war and petrol prices

Vance posted that the Iran war was "the reason we lost". Asked about it, Trump said the view was "largely true" because the war had pushed up the price of petrol, but said he believed the war was worth losing Senate seats. He said he did not know whether Vance would run for president in 2028.

CBS News polling found 89% of voters called the cost of living a major or crucial factor in their vote, with Trump's approval at 38%, historically low for a president at the midterms.

What it means for Pakistan

The petrol link runs both ways. Brent crude has fallen sharply since the results on expectations of a lower risk of escalation in the Gulf, which feeds into Pakistan's petrol price. Democrats' House leader Hakeem Jeffries has listed ending the Iran war and rolling back Trump's tariffs among his first priorities, CBS reported; both matter for oil and for Pakistani exporters to the US. Track the rupee at our USD to PKR page and pump prices at petrol price today.