House Republicans are riding high after their resounding 2024 victory, and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) isn’t shy about predicting even brighter days ahead for his party. Speaking at the House GOP issues retreat at President Donald Trump’s Doral resort in Florida, Johnson painted a bleak picture for the Democrats, describing the opposition party as being in “disarray” with no clear leader, vision, or direction.
“The Democratic Party is in disarray. They have no obvious leader. They have no obvious vision or agenda,” Johnson declared. “Their platform has to be rewritten whole cloth, and they don’t exactly know how they are going to wander in this wilderness for the next couple of years.” The comments reflect growing confidence within the GOP after an election cycle that left Republicans with control of the House, the Senate, and the White House.
Johnson was joined by key Republican leaders, including National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Richard Hudson (R-NC), GOP Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-MI), and Florida Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, as they strategized for the coming years. The GOP retained its House majority in 2024, holding a narrow 218-215 margin despite two current vacancies in Florida districts. Special elections to fill the seats left by former Reps. Matt Gaetz and Michael Waltz are already underway, with general elections scheduled for April 1.
.@SpeakerJohnson: “We are going to win and grow the House majority in 2026. Historically when the president takes the Oval Office, then his party then loses on average a number of seats in the House in that first midterm. That won’t happen this time around…” pic.twitter.com/tTf0nBAmYD
— CSPAN (@cspan) January 27, 2025
While the slim margin leaves little room for error on divisive votes, Johnson exuded confidence, arguing that Republicans are well-positioned to expand their majority in the 2026 midterms. “It’s not just gonna be a couple of years, though; it’s gonna be four years at least and then more because we are going to win—grow the House majority in 2026,” he said, predicting long-term political dominance for the GOP.
Johnson’s bullish outlook is buoyed by the current disarray among Democrats, who lost control of both the Senate and the White House in 2024. Without an obvious leader to rally around and with a platform that has alienated much of middle America, the Democrats face an uphill battle in the years to come. Johnson suggested that their rebuilding efforts would extend well beyond the 2026 midterms, possibly affecting their competitiveness in the 2028 presidential election.
This confidence stems not only from the GOP’s recent electoral victories but also from what Johnson described as a “sea change” in voter sentiment. He dismissed historical trends that typically see a president’s party lose seats in the House during the first midterm following a victory in the Oval Office. “That won’t happen this time around because there has been a sea change,” Johnson argued. “And we’re going to deliver on this agenda, and that begins now.”
The GOP has a unique opportunity to capitalize on its current momentum, aided by the leadership of President Trump, who continues to energize the party’s base while delivering on key campaign promises. Trump’s influence has solidified the GOP as the party of working-class Americans, while Democrats struggle to redefine their identity after doubling down on policies that many voters rejected in 2024.
Johnson also pointed to lessons learned from past midterm losses, such as the 2018 wave that saw Democrats flip 41 seats after Trump’s initial election victory in 2016. “Historically, when the president takes the Oval Office, then his party loses on average a number of seats in the House in that first midterm,” Johnson acknowledged. But he maintained that 2026 would defy precedent, thanks to a focused GOP agenda that will resonate with voters.