Mike Johnson Links Strait of Hormuz Crisis to GOP Midterm Hopes

House Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday said he remains confident that Republicans can defy history and win the midterm elections despite a razor-thin majority in the House – as long as the Strait of Hormuz is open, allowing lawmakers to focus again on “kitchen table issues.”

Polling has shown a sour mood nationwide as the U.S. grapples with high prices for gas and oil, which has resulted from Tehran closing the Strait of Hormuz in response to the joint U.S.-Israel strikes that killed Iran‘s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens of other top-ranking officials in the country.

President Donald Trump is facing record-law approval ratings, with recent polls from CNN and CBS showing the president at just around 35 percent approval, and most of the dissatisfaction has resulted from the strain that high gas prices have put on the average American’s pocketbook.

High Gas Prices Hit Americans in the Pocketbook

During an appearance on “Fox News Sunday,” Johnson acknowledged that prices are too high and that the Strait of Hormuz is a direct cause of all of it, but he remains optimistic about the chances for Republicans to retain control of both Chambers of Congress – even as, historically, the party in power faces tough losses in the first midterms after a presidential election if their party also controls the White House.

2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

This story was originally published May 17, 2026 at 10:04 AM.