Mike Johnson blasts voters for making the ‘wrong choice’ on Election Day

Mike Johnson blasts voters for making the ‘wrong choice’ on Election Day Democrats only needed to flip three seats to gain the majority in the House — they picked up 44 in a massive GOP shellacking - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in House Speaker Mike Johnson has blasted voters for making the “wrong choice” on Election Day last week. President Donald Trump, Johnson and other Republican leaders were tasked with keeping the majority in Congress, but despite their best efforts, Democrats swept the midterms in a defeat so crushing that it was dubbed a blue tsunami. Johnson shared regret for the GOP’s shellacking, but not the blame. Instead, the Republican leader pinned it on the Americans who voted against his party on Tuesday. When asked by CNN’s Manu Raju on Capitol Hill Monday whether Trump needs to “course correct” after the midterm losses, Johnson said, “I’m not going to tell the president how to do his job. We have an incredible record of the first two years of his term, and I expect more success in the days ahead.” “I’m sorry that the voters made the wrong choice,” the speaker said. “I really do believe that these next two years are going to be a bit of a circus. It’s going to be chaos, and I hate to say that, but I think that’s where Democrats are going to lead the House.” Democrats won key Senate races in reliably Republican states, including Texas, Iowa and Kansas. The party also made history with Gina Hinojosa being the first Latina to be elected governor of Texas and Georgia’s Keisha Lance Bottoms being elected as the first Black woman governor in U.S. history. While more votes still need to be counted, there are currently 254 Democrats elected to the House and just 164 Republicans. Democrats only needed to flip three seats to gain the majority — they picked up 44. Johnson called the Democrats gaining control of Congress a “great tragedy,” adding that if Republicans kept the majority, “we would stay on course to continue delivering for the people and I just don’t know how that’s going to work going forward.” But the people see a grim economy made worse by the rising gas prices brought on by the Iran war that Trump started. Seventy-five percent of House voters said the economy was poor or not so good in ABC News Voter Polls. Another 63 percent said the U.S. made the wrong decision in taking military action against Iran. Trump, who has also deflected blame for Republicans’ election losses, has signaled that he’s willing to work with Democrats on some issues, but also made clear he isn’t afraid to use his veto power to block legislation he doesn’t agree with. In the first major shakeup since the midterms, Trump replaced his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, with her deputy, Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner — despite the president admitting that his crackdown on illegal migrants during the first two years of his second term was “too tough.” Voters are split on which party is better at handling immigration, with 43 percent saying Republicans and 41 percent saying Democrats in the ABC polls. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments