Speaker Johnson laughs off Jasmine Crockett Senate bid: ‘Absolutely delighted’ she is running

By Fox News · Fox News

Speaker Mike Johnson , R-La., told reporters that he is "absolutely delighted" that progressive firebrand Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, is running for U.S. Senate. Johnson was asked during a House leadership press conference on Wednesday what he thought of Crockett entering the race and whether he was worried about her chances of flipping one of Texas’ Senate seats. In response, Johnson rubbed his hands together and smiled. "I’m absolutely delighted that Jasmine Crockett is running for Senate in Texas ," said Johnson. " I think it's one of the greatest things that’s happened to the Republican Party in a long, long time," he went on, adding, "She is the face of the Democratic Party, she and [Zohran] Mamdani . Good luck with that." CROCKETT'S POTENTIAL SUCCESSOR HAS REPEATEDLY RAILED AGAINST US IN REPARATIONS PUSH: 'IT'S BEEN EVIL' Johnson said that he would like Crockett to "have the largest, loudest microphone that she can every single day." " We look forward to having that election down there," he said, adding, "We are going to elect another Republican senator in Texas. Texas is a red state… The people of Texas are commonsense Americans, and what Jasmine is trying to sell will not be purchased by the folks of Texas." Later that day, House Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., shot back at Johnson’s statements about Crockett, saying, "I think Speaker Johnson is trying to do anything he can to distract from the majority… that we see dwindling, and it's like sand falling through his hands." " He just can't keep a hold of it – he sees that – he would much rather talk about a Senate race than he would the Georgia House races that Republicans lost or the mayor's race that the vice-chair mentioned, the first time in 30 years that a Democrat has been mayor of Miami… he wants to distract and take away from this because he's losing his grip on his majority. That much is very clear." "So, the more that Speaker Johnson wants to talk about the national landsca…