House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is poised to handily defeat his field of opponents to win a fifth term in the House of Representatives.
Johnson, who enjoys a close relationship with President Donald Trump, is projected to win nearly 60% of the vote against four other declared candidates, according to The Associated Press, and therefore is guaranteed to return to Congress in January.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry modified this year’s House elections after postponing the primaries to give the state legislature more time to redraw its congressional map to give Republicans an edge.
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Instead of following the traditional schedule of a springtime primary race and a Nov. 3 general election, the top two candidates in each of the state’s six House districts would advance to an early December runoff, unless one person clinches over 50% of the total vote.
Louisiana’s GOP majority scored a victory with the Supreme Court earlier this year that allowed it to essentially dissolve the state’s one Black-majority district, which was drawn under guidelines set by the Voting Rights Act.
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Johnson was widely expected to sail to victory on Tuesday night, given his leadership status and prolific fundraising.
His seat in Louisiana’s 4th Congressional District is anchored by Shreveport and Bossier City in the northwestern part of the state. Its rating with the nonpartisan Cook Political Report is R-26, making it a safe Republican territory.
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But his dominant performance on Tuesday night will not necessarily translate to further success within the House GOP conference.
If Republicans keep their majority nationwide, Johnson is all but assured of remaining Speaker of the House in the next Congress. If they lose, Johnson is all but assured to face pressure from fellow House Republicans to step aside from his leadership role.
In the latter case, it’s widely believed that House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, will face House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., for the minority leader position.