Exclusive: Mike Johnson's bullish on keeping House

• Johnson predicted members would be receptive to his message —  "keep your quarterback" — when it comes time for leadership elections, scheduled for Nov. 13.
• "We've been working for a year ... preparing this playbook that we'll talk about all the time for the next Congress," Johnson said in an exclusive interview from his campaign headquarters.
• "So if we're going to ... run those plays and execute them with precision, you got to keep the quarterback on the field and keep the same team," he added.

Inside the room: Surrounded by senior staff in his campaign war room, Johnson said he doesn't see a scenario where former President Trump wins the White House and the GOP loses the House.

• Trump early Wednesday was closing in on the Electoral College votes needed to secure a second term.
• But Johnson said any majority would likely remain slim.

The big picture: Some House Republicans have questioned whether Johnson could survive a leadership challenge with a narrow margin of control.

• But Johnson — who flew late Tuesday to Mar-a-Lago to be alongside Trump — said he doesn't expect a messy, public floor fight like the one his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, faced two years ago.

• It took McCarthy 15 rounds of balloting to win the gavel.
• Should the House not break Republicans' way, Johnson said he hasn't even considered whether he'd run for minority leader.

Yes, but: Johnson noted that — with many races still undecided — he's not taking anything for granted.

• "New York and California were always the road to the majority, and there's still a giant question mark over California. So I just hope that what I saw there on the ground translates to the ballot," he said.
• Republicans are hoping to know their margins by next week, but final results in close races could take days, if not weeks, to confirm.