Johnson compares 2026 midterms to post-9/11 elections

(The Daily Signal) – While campaigning for Rep. Rob Bresnahan in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, this week, House Speaker Mike Johnson compared the 2026 midterms to the election that followed the 9/11 terrorist attacks and said fears about the “rise of Marxism and communism” could cause voters to reject Democrats and stick with the party in power.

Johnson, in a sit-down interview with the Daily Signal on Tuesday, said the approaching election could, like 2002, defy the usual pattern of the president’s party losing congressional seats.

“There’s two primary motivations if you look into the history of midterm elections: Anger is a primary motivator, but fear is as well,” Johnson said. “And there have been anomalies in history—like George W. [Bush], who did not lose his majority after 9/11 because the country was shaken.”

“We have something different happening in this election cycle as well, and it’s the rise of Marxism and communism [and] socialism,” he continued. “These are all part of the same philosophy, and it is anti-American. And I think people recognize that they know what’s at stake, and I think they’re going to do the right thing.”

Johnson as a surrogate

Like his August tour, Johnson is hitting the campaign trail hard this month while Congress is in recess.

He is the top campaigner for the Republican Party, traveling to 22 states and 40 districts ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections to support Republicans running for the U.S. House. Johnson, who is focusing his efforts on swing districts and “toss-up races,” says he is “very bullish on the outcome of this election.”

“I do not believe the national polls. I think they’re under sampling Republicans,” he said. “We have a lot of energy. You’ve seen some of it today in these really important districts. I’m seeing that all around the country.”

While the speaker admitted that polls haven’t registered the enthusiasm he’s seeing out on the campaign trail, he nevertheless predicted that Republicans will maintain control of Congress.

“I’m seeing this bird’s-eye view on the ground myself, and that’s why I’m so encouraged. I genuinely believe we’re going to hold the majority,” Johnson said.

Common sense vs. communism

At various campaign stops throughout the day, Johnson cited Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s speech at the Republican National Committee’s Midterm Convention, in which he said that the Democratic Party was no longer the party of his father, Robert F. Kennedy. The House speaker said the message resonates everywhere he goes because “people know it, they see it with their own eyes.”

Traveling with Johnson in Hazleton was House GOP Chairwoman Lisa McClain, R-Mich., who handles messaging strategy for the Republicans. She told the Daily Signal that the Democratic Party has adopted far-left policies that don’t resonate with voters.

“Listen to what the other side wants to do: defund the police, pack the Supreme Court, eliminate the presidency, [men in] girls and women’s sports, abolish the Senate, abolish [Immigration and Customs Enforcement]. These aren’t our words, these are their words, and I believe them when they say that,” she said.

‘Duty is ours, results are God’s’

Johnson maintained that Republicans in office should model “servant leadership” and provide a clear alternative to candidates who are calling for a radical change from America’s roots and history.

“We find that the barbarians are now inside the gate. We have enemies of the American way, of America’s founding principles, who are actually running for the legislative body, and that’s a serious concern to us as it is to the American people when they recognize that,” he said.

“So, we’re going to do everything within our power to make sure we win it, and then we rest easy after that because we did our duty.”

“Duty is ours, results are God’s,” Johnson added.