Exclusive: Speaker Mike Johnson weighs in on midterm battles, foreign policy, and New York politics
With Democrats predicting a blue wave in upcoming elections, Speaker Johnson dismissed the opposition's claims, laying out why he believes Republicans are positioned not just to keep their majority, but to expand it.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson joined News 12 senior political reporter Tara Rosenblum for an exclusive interview at Silvio's Pizza in Westchester County during a campaign swing alongside Rep. Mike Lawler - in a race that could help determine which party controls Congress next year.
With Democrats predicting a blue wave in upcoming elections, Speaker Johnson dismissed the opposition's claims, laying out why he believes Republicans are positioned not just to keep their majority, but to expand it.
"I'm telling you that the radical insurgent left is taking over the party, and it's not just in New York City - it's all around the country. The Marxists, the communists, are on the rise. We've characterized this election, very accurately, as a contrast election. It's a contrast between common sense, as represented by somebody like Mike Lawler, and crazy, and that's increasingly what they offer. So that's a large reason why we are so bullish about this midterm election. We are convinced this is going to be an outcome unlike any other."
Despite tight polling in contested districts across the country, Speaker Johnson expressed strong confidence in the Republican Party's momentum.
"In those 19 highly contested races, we are going to win the vast majority of those because we have superior candidates. We have a slight fundraising advantage at this point for the first time in 10 years. We have the movement and the tailwinds behind us. We have all the factors in place to make sure that we deliver this," said Johnson.
Rosenblum also talked with Johnson about various topics, including the growing influence of Democratic Socialists in New York, the fight over affordability, ICE and if Indian Point could ever reopen.
She also pressed him on the war in Iran, rising gas prices and Jared Kushner's face-to-face talks with Hamas.
Watch Tara Rosenblum's full interview this Sunday on Power & Politics.
