House Speaker Mike Johnson, the Louisiana Republican who ascended to his post just over a year ago, now finds himself at the center of a storm brewing within his own party. As the 2026 midterm elections loom, a potent mix of retirements, internal criticism, and legislative gridlock has left Johnson’s grip on the gavel more tenuous than ever—even as party leaders insist he’s safe for now.
The latest flare-up came on December 5, 2025, when the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) released a pointed "GOP Retirement Watch" bingo card. Featuring Johnson, Representative Nancy Mace, and fourteen other Republicans, the card was more than just political theater. It underscored a harsh reality: more than 30 Republicans have announced they won’t seek reelection in 2026, and the GOP’s exits are outpacing Democrats by a two-to-one margin, according to Newsweek. The DCCC’s message on X was biting: “House Republicans are heading for the exits as their microscopic majority slips away. If you thought the retirement wave had peaked, think again.”
The wave of departures has set nerves on edge, especially with the party’s slim House majority. Even Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of Johnson’s most outspoken critics, declared in November she would resign in January 2026, citing frustration that “the legislature has been mostly sidelined this year.” Her exit, and those of others, have only fueled speculation about the GOP’s ability to retain control of the House after next year’s elections.
But the drama is not limited to retirements. Johnson has faced mounting scrutiny from within his own caucus, especially after Democrats’ surprise performance in the Tennessee special election on December 3, 2025. That result, which saw massive swings toward Democrats, intensified questions about Johnson’s leadership, already under strain following a record-breaking 50-day government shutdown earlier in the year. According to NBC News, one senior GOP lawmaker put it bluntly: “There’s a lot of anxiety and stress about the election, and people looking at their own districts, saying, ‘I thought things were going to be different.’”
The shutdown, which kept the House out of session for six weeks, left lawmakers feeling isolated and unsupported. “I just think being off for 50 days, there was no continuity. Nobody was here. There was nobody like, ‘Hey, you’re doing great. Keep it up,’” another Republican told NBC News. “Everyone being back in their district, there was a loneliness. A lot of members may have felt like we’re on our own.”
Johnson’s rapid rise to Speaker in late 2023—replacing the ousted Kevin McCarthy—was initially aided by his status as a relative unknown with few enemies. Yet that anonymity has faded. In recent weeks, he’s clashed with prominent Republicans like Elise Stefanik, Anna Paulina Luna, and Marjorie Taylor Greene. The issues? Everything from his reluctant release of the Epstein files to his resistance to bipartisan legislation on insider trading.
Stefanik, a top Trump ally who’s now running for governor, was particularly scathing in an interview published December 3 in The Wall Street Journal. She called Johnson a “political novice” and declared, “I believe that the majority of Republicans would vote for new leadership. It’s that widespread.” Her anger was reportedly stoked by Johnson’s handling of a defense bill that omitted a provision she championed. Yet, after a conversation with Johnson and former President Trump, Stefanik softened her stance, predicting he would survive the rest of the congressional term as Speaker.
The tension has spilled onto the House floor in other ways. This week, Representative Anna Paulina Luna filed a discharge petition to bypass Johnson and force a vote on banning members of Congress from trading stocks—the same maneuver that had previously forced a vote on releasing the Epstein files. Some Republicans are also frustrated by the recent abandonment of a bill to regulate name, image, and likeness deals in collegiate athletics after internal opposition.
Despite the noise, a formal challenge to Johnson’s Speakership remains elusive. The House GOP changed its rules at the start of this term, making it harder to oust a Speaker: now, nine members of the majority party must band together to trigger a motion to vacate. As Representative Troy Nehls, who is set to retire in January 2027, told NBC News, “If it’s not Mike Johnson, well, then who?… Who could get enough votes to even replace him? And quite honestly, it’s probably nobody.”
Other Republicans echoed that sentiment. Representative Tim Burchett quipped, “I mean, we’re one flu season away from losing the majority. He’s safe as anybody. Who’s going to replace him? Who can get the votes?” Memories of the bruising three-week stretch after McCarthy’s ouster, which saw three failed Speaker candidates before Johnson emerged, remain fresh.
Still, criticism is mounting. Representative Kevin Kiley has emerged as a vocal detractor, frustrated by Johnson’s lack of opposition to Trump-backed redistricting efforts. “I think that there’s a higher level of frustration than I’ve seen maybe in all of my time here, perhaps with the exception of those weeks when we didn’t have a Speaker,” Kiley told Nexstar Media. He called a motion to vacate Johnson an “extreme remedy” with a “very high threshold.”
Others are more supportive. Representative Beth Van Duyne praised Johnson’s leadership, saying, “I think he’s doing a fantastic job. I think he’s shown leadership. I think he’s shown an ability to be able to listen to people, to gather people, to be able to get massive legislation on the floor passed.” She added, “He’s very diplomatic, and he’s insistent on doing things above board and now in the open with transparency. That’s exactly what I would expect in a leader.”
For his part, Johnson remains publicly unfazed. “Sometimes there’s friction, sometimes there’s vigorous debate. That’s all part of the process. People are going to have emotions. They’re going to get upset about things. That’s part of the process. It doesn’t deter me in any way. It doesn’t bother me,” Johnson told reporters, according to NBC News. “But when there is a conflict or concern, I always ask all members, come to me. Don’t go to social media, call me. Come by the office.”
As for the persistent rumors of more resignations, Nancy Mace was unequivocal. “Nowhere did I say I was retiring. Internet is wild. So too are those spreading this nonsense,” she posted on X. “I loathe how slow Congress moves. I loathe we haven’t delivered on President Trump’s agenda. I loathe serious lawmakers aren’t taken seriously. I loathe the press making stories up. I loathe the politics of lies.”
With the House GOP’s majority hanging by a thread, the coming months promise more turbulence. Whether Johnson can weather the internal storms, keep his caucus together, and deliver on the party’s promises remains an open—and urgent—question.