NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is forecasting a Republican surge that could buck midterm tradition, saying the GOP could pick up “between seven and eight seats” — and potentially reach double digits — as redistricting fights unfold across several states.
“I’m convinced we’re going to defy history and keep the majority here so we can keep all this going,” Johnson said during a “Fox & Friends” exclusive on Tuesday.
Host Brian Kilmeade pushed back, pointing out that history overwhelmingly favors the opposition party in midterm elections.
REDISTRICTING HELPS REPUBLICANS, DEMOCRATS FLIP HOUSE SEATS
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., pauses for questions from reporters as he arrives for a closed-door Republican Conference meeting at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 3. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)
“It’s only happened a couple of times in the last 90 years — the sitting president picked up seats for his party,” Johnson said. “But this is a midterm unlike any other… We have a great record to run on. We’ve got better candidates in the field. We’re applying common sense.”
Johnson said the size of potential Republican gains will depend on how many states ultimately “get involved” in the redistricting process.
ALABAMA REPUBLICANS PLOW FORWARD ON REDISTRICTING
President Donald Trump’s charge ahead for the midterms was touted as a potential factor that could benefit Republicans. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
Several Republican-led states, including Alabama and Tennessee, have already pushed for changes, while others like Mississippi, Missouri, Maine and South Carolina could follow suit, Johnson said.
On Tuesday, however, a handful of South Carolina Republicans blocked a redistricting effort that would have eliminated the state’s only Democratic-dominated U.S. House seat ahead of the midterm elections.
Johnson pointed to President Donald Trump’s aggressive campaigning as a key factor working in Republicans’ favor.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“He’s out on the campaign trail as well because the stakes are so high,” he said.
“We can’t lose the majority in the House because it would come crashing down around him, and you’re going to have a lot of factors in play that have not been a factor in previous midterms. We’re going to win.”
Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser and Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
Taylor Penley is an associate editor with Fox News.
