Posted on 10/24/2023 9:24:36 AM PDT by JSM_Liberty
House Republicans nominated House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) for Speaker on Tuesday, making him the third GOP lawmaker who will attempt to get 217 votes to secure the gavel.
The conference selected Emmer — the No. 3 House Republican — for the position in a secret ballot during an internal election that lasted three hours, choosing him over six other candidates vying for the job. Two Republicans withdrew their names from the race before voting began.
Emmer, 62, will now take his nomination to the House floor, where he will have to muster enough votes to win the gavel — a heavy lift that the previous two GOP Speaker nominees failed to achieve. If all lawmakers are present and vote for a specific candidate, Emmer will need at least 217 votes.
It may also be a hard climb for Emmer, who has a less conservative voting record than some members would like.
He has voted in favor of codifying same-sex marriage; in favor of spending bills and a debt limit deal that outraged hardliners; and opposed votes on Jan. 6, 2021, objecting to 2020 election results.
Rep. Rick Allen (R-Ga.) said he will not back Emmer for Speaker because of his vote in favor of the Respect for Marriage Act, which was passed by Congress last year and gives federal protections to same-sex marriages.
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) on Tuesday said the conservative House Freedom Caucus is not committing to backing Emmer on the floor.
“We’ll see, all of them have different characters, different qualities and we’ll see how it goes,” he told reporters when asked if he would back Emmer.
“We want to sit down with whoever gets it as a Freedom Caucus and understand what their roles —what their roles will be, what they want to push and things like that,” he added.
Emmer’s nomination is the latest development in the long-winded Speaker saga, which has fractured the GOP conference and left the House at a standstill. The chamber is unable to conduct legislative business on the floor without installing a permanent Speaker or empowering Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), a reality that has prevented lawmakers from advancing key priorities like government funding and aid for Israel and Ukraine.
Tuesday marked exactly three weeks since eight Republicans banded with Democrats to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from his post.
And for Emmer — the no-nonsense former collegiate hockey player — Tuesday marks the pinnacle of his career on Capitol Hill. The Minnesota Republican came to Congress in 2015 and served two stints as chairman of the National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC) before rising to majority whip.
Emmer led the House GOP’s campaign arm when Republicans regained the majority in 2022, winning a net-nine seats that delivered them their slim, five-seat majority. Since that victory, he has been instrumental in helping the GOP conference secure a list of legislative wins.
Even Freedom Caucus members have praised Emmer throughout the year for being an honest broker. His office has been a frequent gathering place for Republicans this year as they hashed out internal disagreements.
In a letter to colleagues announcing his candidacy, Emmer pledged to “always be honest and direct with all of you, even if we disagree.”
“I will never make a promise I cannot fulfill,” Emmer wrote. “I expect to be held accountable, and you can expect that we will also keep you to your word.”
The House GOP’s path to nominating Emmer was muddy.
Last week, House Republicans voted to drop Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) as the conference’s nominee after he fell short of the gavel on three floor votes. Before that, Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) withdrew his name from the race after Jordan backers said they would not support him on the House floor.
The floodgates then opened, with nine candidates throwing their hat in the ring as the conference’s next best chance to break the Speaker impasse.
Republican Reps. Dan Meuser (Pa.) and Gary Palmer (Ala.) withdrew their names before voting began, while Emmer, Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), House Republican Conference Vice Chairman Mike Johnson (R-La.), Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), Rep. Jack Bergman (R-Mich.), Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.), Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) remained in the running.
Emmer was seen as an early frontrunner in the crowded field to be the third Republican Speaker nominee because his rank in the GOP conference, his experience of running in leadership races and an early endorsement from McCarthy, who threw his support behind the Minnesotan even before he formally jumped in the race.
Emmer was also able to breathe a small sigh of relief after former President Trump made positive comments when asked about the Minnesota Republican — which followed negative remarks from Trump loyalists aimed at him.
Former Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon, for example, called Emmer a “Trump hater.” And Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn, speaking on former Bannon’s “War Room” show Friday, knocked Emmer for not yet endorsing Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential primary. Emmer has said he does not plan to endorse any primary candidate.
But while in New Hampshire on Tuesday, when a reporter said Emmer had not always been Trump’s biggest fan, the former president said: “I think he’s my biggest fan now because he called me yesterday, and he told me, ‘I’m your biggest fan,’ so I don’t know about that.”
“I’ve always gotten along with him,” Trump added of Emmer.
The pair also spoke ahead of Tuesday’s internal election.
still dont get it, do ya??
>> this is what you get for pulling all this non sense
To say you are pleased with the 25 or RINOs that voted against Jordan, or that not-playing-it-safe is the best thing for our future? Neither of these two conditions would have permitted the birth of the Constitution.
Don’t place the failures & cowardice of others on the rest of us.
Please, these 2 things haven’t changed anything
MCCarthy’s friends evicting Pelosi isn’t any structural change.. just some petty revenge
McCarthy being removed and pelosi being evicted in response to it change nothing structurally at all.
This is just a clown show.. Gaetz is a clown, McCarthy is a clown entire damn house is full of clowns
Smells like a Ryan Romney weed.
He’s not. Compared to more firebreathing types... He’s just “ok”. From having actually voted for him as my State Rep, he’s politically to the Right of Newt Gingrich/Willard Romney/ et all...
But from MN... unless someone is dumb enough to vote for me, you aren’t getting much better than Tom.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Emmer#cite_note-FiveThirtyEightSecond-41
His house in Delano is about 30 minutes from my house.
in this case... PRAYING for McCarthy back at the helm.... gracious sakes what in the world RINOpublicans??? SHAME on AMERICA!!!
Just look at his desire to eliminate the Electoral College among other things. Look at his Conservstive numbers—sorry don’t have a link right now.
So the FReedom Caucus looses again.
I am pissed that we can’t overcome the Rino wall.
The Dems have them all slush unded out so that they will support Dem woke policies whichi destroy America.
OI donot care whether Trump is his #1 fan. If Trump wants to drain the swamp, he does not need a RINO SPeaker.
He is wrong on that issue. I agree with you there...
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/congress-trump-score/house/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Emmer#cite_note-FiveThirtyEightSecond-41
There are a couple of other issues I have with him as well... He’s against further 2A infringements... but has told me to my face that he supports the existing laws. I told him... to HIS face... this was not acceptable. This was when he was first running for Governor against Dayton...
Perfect form. This is what is wrong with the whole affair. If you were speaking with force for the GOP, I would leave as asked. However, you aren't, so I think I'll just stay the way I am.
Structural change isn’t going to happen until the deep state gets obliterated.
Who did he share a studio with
Bob Davis on KTLK.
Had a recurring Friday segment with Justice and Drew (prior to Drew’s death and Emmer taking on more leadership roles in the House)...
Justice is still on the air...
Get ready, WWIII here we come.
If they do nothing but bad stuff, paralysis is an improvement.
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2023/10/24/congress/emmer-drops-out-00123306
Emmer drops speakership bid
I don’t agree with Tom on everything, but he’s certainly not as bad as some here are making him out to be.
For Speaker? Not sure Tom has the fire we need in a solid Leader. He’s a lawyer first. Always was.
We need a Thomas Sowell that is half a Century younger.
“I don’t agree with Tom on everything, but he’s certainly not as bad as some here are making him out to be.”
—
Anyone who promotes doing away with the electoral college is just as bad as some make him out to be. That’s a deal-breaker for me.
Emmer is the dirtiest and worst pos RINO yet.
.
The Minnesota congressman was part of the so-called “Blockchain Eight” who signed a letter that tried to quash the Securities and Exchange Commission’s attempts to gain more information on FTX in March 2022 — months before the disastrous implosion of Sam Bankman-Fried’s firm.
Emmer — the third-most powerful member of the House — received $11,600 in direct donations from FTX, putting the failed crypto exchange in his top 15 donors during the 2022 election cycle, according to FEC filings.
https://nypost.com/2023/10/24/business/tom-emmers-ties-to-ftx-cast-cloud-over-bid-for-speakers-gavel/
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