Speaker Johnson Discusses Midterms, Kicks off 22-State Campaign Swing
Sept. 28, 2026
WASHINGTON, DC - Speaker Mike Johnson joined Mornings with FOX Business today to discuss how Republicans are running through the tape to defy history and defend the majority this November. In an interview with Cheryl Casone, Speaker Johnson highlighted Republicans' record of success lowering taxes and growing the economy, fundraising advantage, and the contrast between common sense and Democrats' crazy.
Watch Speaker Johnson's full interview here
On the midterm election:
"The midterms are going to come down to a handful of seats. It really is. About 22 seats are the swing districts; we know which ones are red, which ones are blue, and that's the battle. So in those districts where I'll be traveling for the next six weeks, and have been all year, last two years, the whole cycle, we have better candidates. They have a great message. They're talking about what we've actually done.
We gave the largest middle and working families tax cut in the history of the United States, $4.1 trillion in tax cuts. We cut $1.6 trillion in wasteful spending going after the fraud. We have done so much for the small business owners to allow immediate expensing of capital expenditures, and that's added more jobs, one million private sector jobs that have been added. Wages are going up. Inflation is coming down. Remember, under Biden and Harris, inflation got to a 40-year high 9.1%. You don't just flip a switch after an election and turn it back down to zero. We're gradually on that case. The costs are too high, but we've got to continue what we're doing because that is what is making the economy better and stronger."
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"I'm telling you that we can win the midterms and I am very bullish about that. I believe we're going to defy the historic trend. Remember, it's only happened twice in 90 years that a sitting president's picked up seats for his party. But this election is unlike any other. This is not our father's Democratic Party. They're going full Marxist, socialist, communist on the other side, and that helps us in this race.
We have better candidates. We have a fundraising advantage for the first time in many, many years. And we're making that case. And so in the 22 districts that I believe are going to decide this, remember that President Trump won 21 of those 22 districts just two years ago. We have a lot of tailwinds that the media's not given us cover for. Remember, the mainstream media is trying to advance the false narrative of the Democrats, but we're running our race. Our candidates are right there every day, and they're talking to their constituents in common sense.
This is a contrast election between common sense and crazy. Common sense is on our side."
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Additionally, Axios this morning previewed Speaker Johnson's 6-sweek campaign sprint. Between now and Election Day, Speaker Mike Johnson will barnstorm the country campaigning for House Republicans nationwide. In total, Speaker Johnson will make stops in more than 40 districts across 22 states as Republicans fight to defy history and grow the majority in November. This campaign swing builds upon Speaker Johnson's August travel across 18 states, 52 cities, and 75 events.
Read more below.
Axios Exclusive: Mike Johnson to travel to 22 states in final midterm sprint
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is launching a six-week campaign blitz that will take him to more than 40 congressional districts across 22 states through Election Day, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Johnson is going all-in on defending Republicans' House majority at a moment when the political terrain is shifting toward Democrats.
The Cook Political Report moved 15 House races toward Democrats on Friday and said Republicans would need to win a majority of the remaining toss-up races to keep control of the chamber.
Driving the news: Johnson's campaign swing will be split evenly between Republican-held seats the party is fighting to defend and Democratic-held districts the GOP hopes to pick up, according to details shared first with Axios.
The speaker begins his travel this week in Louisiana and New York.
He'll also campaign in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
The six-week sprint builds on Johnson's August road show, when he traveled across 18 states for 75 events in 52 cities.
What they're saying: "With less than 40 days until the most consequential midterm election in modern history, Republicans are not slowing down as we give voters a clear choice between common sense and Democrats' crazy," Johnson told Axios in a statement.
"From coast to coast, I am leaving it all on the field to defend our House majority because the stakes have never been higher. Democrats have embraced socialism and communism and nominated the most radical candidates to ever run for Congress," the speaker continued.
Zoom out: Johnson has also broken fundraising records, raising more through the second quarter than any Republican speaker or leader in a midterm cycle.
Earlier this month, Johnson announced another $13 million transfer to GOP incumbents, challengers and the NRCC.
The NRCC enters the final stretch with $13 million more cash on hand than the DCCC, the largest lead the committee has ever held at this point in the election cycle.