House Republicans Trade Blame After Losing Majority in Midterms
House Republicans are questioning their leadership after losing the majority in the midterm elections, and CBS News reported that Speaker Mike Johnson plans to step aside from his party leadership role.
SHREVEPORT - House Republicans are trading blame after the party lost its House majority in the midterm elections, according to an Axios report on the finger-pointing inside the conference. The outlet said the election-night defeat has set off a wave of criticism among House Republicans.
According to Axios, members are questioning whether Speaker Mike Johnson or any of the other top deputies can survive next week's leadership elections. The outlet's headline called the midterm outcome a "brutal" debacle for the party, and it noted that Johnson had spent months insisting Republicans would defy the odds and keep the House. The summary of the report does not say what Johnson has said since the loss.
CBS News reported that House Speaker Mike Johnson plans to step aside from his party leadership role as Republicans respond to the midterm results. In the same report, the network said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has launched his bid for speaker. The CBS News headline describes the Republican reaction as pointing fingers after a massive midterms defeat.
The two accounts differ in emphasis. Axios described members openly questioning whether Johnson can keep his position through the leadership elections, while CBS News reported that Johnson plans to step aside from his leadership role. Neither summary reconciles the two descriptions, and neither states the date or form of any step Johnson has announced. Each report is available only as a summary, so the details included here are limited to what those summaries state.
CBS News credited correspondents Nancy Cordes and Caitlin Huey-Burns with reporting on the changing balance of power on Capitol Hill.
Sources: Axios: House Republicans torch each other over "brutal" midterms debacle; CBS News: Republicans point fingers after massive midterms defeat; Jeffries runs for House speaker.