Mike Johnson just downplayed Republican election losses with a take that has Democrats laughing

Speaker Mike Johnson is trying to downplay the losses Republicans faced in Tuesday’s elections, but his reasoning isn’t convincing many people. Democrats won major races in Virginia, New Jersey, and New York City in what were the first big elections since President Trump started his second term. All of this happened while a government shutdown kept dragging on.

Democrats are already saying these wins show they have good chances in the 2026 midterm elections. Those races will decide if Republicans keep control of the House and Senate. However, Johnson isn’t worried about what the results might mean for his party.

According to The Hill, Johnson told reporters that “there were no surprises” the night before. He said the elections just proved that “blue states and blue cities voted blue,” and argued that “no one should read too much into last night’s election results.” He believes past elections show that off-year results don’t really tell us much about what will happen later, saying “that’s what history teaches us.”

His reasoning isn’t convincing Democrats

Johnson also said he didn’t think the loss “was any reflection about Republicans at all.” He pointed to general frustration among voters, explaining “I think people are frustrated and angry as we are. I am. The president is, and we express that in different ways.”

President Trump commented on the losses too, saying the government shutdown probably hurt Republicans at the polls. By Wednesday, the shutdown had reached its 36th day, setting a new record. The Senate has now tried 14 times to pass a Republican plan to reopen the government, but it keeps failing.

Johnson has previously dismissed polling data about who Americans blame for the shutdown, warning there would be consequences for Democrats.

Even with the setbacks, Johnson sounded confident about what’s ahead. “We’re looking forward to a great election running on our record, and we’re going to get all of our incumbents reelected and we’re going to add to the number here,” he told reporters.

Johnson blamed Democrats for the shutdown, saying they’ve refused to support the Republican funding plan. “It’s very clear who’s responsible for this,” he said. “And I think that when we go into next year, in the midterms, we’re very bullish about the outcome. We have an extraordinary record to run on.”

Democrats see things very differently. They believe Tuesday’s wins prove their strategy is working, especially since the victories came during a shutdown that Republicans are having trouble ending.

The win in New York City was especially notable, particularly after Johnson had made bold predictions about the party’s future in the city. Only time will tell if Johnson is right about 2026 or if these election results are warning signs for Republicans.