House Speaker Mike Johnson used one of his final public pitches before the midterms to argue that Republicans should remain in power. His message was not a course correction, but a promise to continue what the party has already been doing.

The midterms are 35 days away after two years of Republican control of both chambers of Congress. Democrats, meanwhile, are seeing surging momentum as voters prepare to decide whether the GOP should keep its House majority.

Johnson appeared Tuesday morning on CNBC Squawk Box and made his case for preserving Republican control. Despite Donald Trump’s record low approval and widespread dissatisfaction with the country’s direction, Johnson offered voters a hearty helping of more of the same.

“What we would do in the next two years is exactly what we have been doing already, and that has been putting the conditions in place for a strong America again,” Johnson declared.

Johnson claimed that the United States had restored energy dominance and American strength. He also insisted that the economic conditions are in place “for this to take off.”

The pitch was striking because Republicans have controlled the House, Senate, and White House since January 2025. Yet poll after poll has shown that Americans believe the United States is heading in the wrong direction, making Johnson’s promise of continuity a curious closing argument.

Trump’s approval remains at a record low while prices remain high and his war in Iran continues. Those conditions leave Johnson trying to sell Republican rule as a success even as voters deliver deeply unfavorable assessments of the president.

The Economist/YouGov polling released Tuesday found that 62% of voters disapprove of the job Trump is doing. Just 36% approve, while 21% of Republicans also say they disapprove of his performance.

The same survey gave Democrats an advantage on the generic congressional ballot. It found that 45% would vote for the Democratic candidate, compared with 37% who said they would support a GOP candidate.

Other polling also shows that more Americans view their midterm vote as a check on the president. That presents another glaring problem for Johnson, whose House majority has largely declined to provide congressional oversight of the Trump administration.

For nearly two years, Johnson has largely surrendered that oversight role as congressional Republicans rubber stamped Trump’s actions. Only a few rebel GOP lawmakers have broken from that pattern, according to the source account.

Johnson nevertheless credited Republicans for the current economic conditions, pointing to the soaring stock market and job growth. His claim came even as job growth has slowed dramatically and the stock market has largely been rising for years.

“We’ve got so much more to do, and we can make things so much better,” Johnson declared. The line effectively asked voters to reward Republicans for current conditions while also trusting them to improve those same conditions later.

Johnson also defended the Iran war, which has continued since the end of February. He described Operation Epic Fury as an “epic success,” even though the conflict remains unresolved and public disapproval of Trump’s handling of Iran is substantial.

“Now we got to resolve that. The president’s laser-focused on it,” Johnson argued. He claimed that the United States was entering a “new phase” of the war and repeated Trump’s months long argument that Iran was running out of resources.

Most Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of Iran, according to the polling cited in the source. A total of 63% said they disapprove, including 51% of voters who said they strongly disapprove.

Johnson’s closing message therefore rests on an awkward proposition: Republicans should retain power because they would keep doing what they have already done. With Democrats gaining momentum, Trump deeply unpopular, and voters increasingly treating the election as a check on the president, that sales pitch arrives with plenty of baggage.