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Johnson campaigns for LePage in Maine, predicts GOP will keep House majority

Speaker Mike Johnson disputed polling showing possible GOP losses while backing former governor Paul LePage against Democrat Matt Dunlap in Maine's 2nd District.

Updated Oct 14, 2026 · 22:13 UTC2 reports

The short version

  • Speaker Mike Johnson campaigned Wednesday in Maine's 2nd Congressional District to boost Republican Paul LePage.[ABC News · Associated Press]
  • Johnson said he disagrees with polling showing Republicans heading toward defeat on Nov. 3 and believes the GOP will keep its narrow House majority.[ABC News · Associated Press]
  • LePage faces Democratic state auditor Matt Dunlap in a race described as one of the party's best hopes to flip a Democratic-held seat.[ABC News · Associated Press]
  • Johnson said Republicans must defy midterm history, since the president's party rarely wins midterms; the outcome remains unknown until Nov. 3.[ABC News · Associated Press]

Key facts

  • Paul LePage, a two-term former governor, is the Republican candidate in Maine's 2nd Congressional District.[ABC News · Associated Press]
  • Speaker Mike Johnson campaigned Wednesday in the district to support LePage.[ABC News · Associated Press]
  • Johnson said he disagrees with polling and the growing sense that Republicans are heading toward defeat on Nov. 3.[ABC News · Associated Press]
  • Johnson said Republicans must defy history to keep their majority, noting the president's party rarely wins midterm elections.[ABC News · Associated Press]
  • LePage and Democratic state auditor Matt Dunlap are vying in the race for the sprawling rural northern district.[ABC News · Associated Press]
  • The Congressional Leadership Fund canceled spending in four House races, including Iowa and New Jersey, and increased investment in others from Texas to Pennsylvania.[ABC News · Associated Press]

What remains uncertain

  • Whether Republicans keep their House majority is unresolved; Johnson's view is a prediction that he says contradicts polling.[ABC News · Associated Press]
  • The reporting does not identify the specific polling Johnson disputed; it refers only to polling and a growing sense of GOP defeat.[ABC News · Associated Press]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.