House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday that he remains confident Republicans will retain control of the House in the November 3 midterm elections, predicting that control of the chamber will ultimately be decided by approximately 19 highly competitive races.
During an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “The Sunday Briefing,” Johnson pushed back against suggestions that Democrats are positioned to take the majority, telling host Peter Doocy that his travels across the country have left him optimistic about Republican prospects.
The discussion began after Doocy asked Johnson about a New York Times report detailing a private meeting between House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
“I heard about it the first time this morning,” Johnson responded.
“I know Jared is a smart guy, and he hedges bets. But I’m telling you what, you better not bet against the House Republicans. I’ve been all around the country the last several weeks.
“This is going to come down to a race of about 19 seats that will decide the fate of the Republic. It’s a contrast election, a contrast between common sense and crazy. I’m telling you, our base is going to turn out, and we’re going to hold the House Republicans.”
Doocy then asked whether the Kushner-Jeffries meeting could indicate that the White House is exploring which Democrats it might be able to work with should the party capture the House.
“I don’t know what that’s about. I know Jared has interests in lots of other things going on. He’s not really directly involved in the admin, at least in the day-to-day in the White House,” Johnson replied.
“But I would tell you this, I’ve been on a non-stop tour. This is my pit stop, Peter, on a 30-day non-stop campaign fundraising tour.”
Johnson said his campaign swing has been focused on the districts where the battle for control of the House is expected to be decided.
“But look, I’m going to the places where the races are really tight, right?” he said.
The speaker then pointed to projections from the Cook Political Report as evidence of just how narrow the fight for the House has become.
“So the Cook Political Report says as of yesterday, on election night, you can expect 211 Republican victories, 205 Democrat victories, 19 seats in the middle. Now, we know what those 19 seats are.”
Johnson said Republicans have spent the past year and a half preparing specifically for those battleground races and expressed confidence in the party’s candidates, political message and financial position.
“We’ve been working on this for a year and a half. I love our candidates, I love our message, I love our fundraising advantage. I’m telling you, we’re going to defy history and hold us to court.”
{Matzav.com}
