'Foolish to vote against us': Mike Johnson's ominous warning to voters amid midterm fear

As Republicans’ midterm election prospects grow increasingly bleak, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) delivered a unique pitch to voters Tuesday while speaking at a Florida resort owned by President Donald Trump — a pitch that labeled voters who don’t support GOP candidates this November as “foolish.”

A new NBC News poll released Monday revealed that Democrats are well-positioned to take back control of the House this November, with some Republicans now fearing they may also lose control of the Senate. Even a prominent Republican – Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) – predicted that the upcoming midterms would be “disastrous” for the GOP.

For Johnson, however, the upcoming elections were a contest, he said, “between normal and crazy,” and offered voters a piece of advice.

“Defying history to win the majority is not a simple task, but it is one that we will do, and you have to remember... this House Republican majority has defied expectation and historical trends and conventional thought virtually every single day that we've been governing,” Johnson said.

“And we will do it again. It would be a very foolish thing to vote against us – that's my advice to you, okay?”

Johnson was speaking at the 2026 House Republican Issues Conference, an annual strategy retreat to discuss party messaging and priorities. This year’s event is being hosted at the Trump National Doral Miami, a golf resort where full membership requires a $50,000 initiation fee, and nearly $1,000 monthly dues.

Johnson went on to compare his own party with the Democratic Party, arguing that a “wide chasm" existed between the two.

“This party is run by Marxists, open socialists, the far-left insurgent politicians and the activist base,” Johnson said, speaking of the Democratic Party. “They're pushing the party all the way over the edge, and they've left America behind.”