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.
McCarthy protégée? So we’ll see deals with the Democrats, money for Ukraine, no change.
“Ranked 50th most politically right compared to All Representatives”
Squishy Middle. No, Thanks!
Bio Here: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/tom_emmer/412639/report-card/2022
Remember how long it took Freepers to recognize GW as the democrat-lite president? At least we know who the real enemy is in this case, it is the GOPe, clear as day so what do we do know said Pogo?
McCarthy wasn’t “well enough”...he made promises to get into the job...then he softened...gave no reason why all j6 tapes not released...didn’t put the fear of a shut down govt on the Dems deficit spending. He had to go. $ to corrupt Ukraine govt...
At least we know why much of the Republican party behaves like a bunch of pushovers. They are still living in the good ole days of the 1950’s. Think they can find common ground with anarchists, communists, and terrorists.
Yes Emmer is a soros prop .
Good bye electoral college .
A nightmare .
Under no circumstance is the status quo acceptable anymore. Nor rigging elections or trying to imprison the one candidate that will represent the people.
You don't seem to grasp the gravity of the situation.
I don’t think he has a chance, but then again the usual rank and file establishment GOP eunuch’s don’t have a chance either because they have lied so much no one believes a word they utter. The deal with the devil the GOP made in 20 is binding and they will pay with the very existence of their beloved Party.
Both parties hate him, along with the deep state traitors and the globalists. He pissed in their Wheaties and broke their piggy banks. They will steal it again and do so quite easily with no opposition from the Republicans. And by some miracle should he win they will JFK him with the Republican Party establishments full support.
How much longer is this BS going to go on? SMH at the idiot republicans. We need fresh blood, these idiots need to be voted out of office, they’re useless.
Passion without a plan causes chaos.
I don’t think he has a chance, but then again the usual rank and file establishment GOP eunuch’s don’t have a chance either because they have lied so much no one believes a word they utter
Trump is too weak to defeat the Deep State? Conservatives need to find another candidate then.
I predicted him Scalise, Stephanik or Hern. But if they elect Emmer they might as well have left McCarthy in place.
I can’t imagine the conservative caucus going along with this. Lets see how the vote goes.
At least I aren't a Geek
: >
I hear Gaetz backed him and helped him win WTH?
It's a FACT that the Republican establishment is party of a group globalists that has an agenda contrary to the will of its base. It's as much the enemy of its base as the Democrat party is.
Being the neocon scumbag you are, you damn well know that.
The base isn't putting up with it anymore. There will ultimately be a third party that does represent its base if the Republican party won't. Or there will be ultimately state secession or civil war.
That status quo isn't going to cut it anymore.
He got punked by the Democrats.
So conservatives are supposed to sit down and shut up and let McCarthy do dirty deals to get money to Ukraine and go back on every promise made to release the complete Jan 6th tapes and impeach Merrick Garland. Got it.
Did we just think the Swamp was going to lie back and take it? The attitude of RINOs has been that if MAGA runs a candidate for elective office, they can rot. Zero help to Kari Lake, Hershel Walker and now the AG running for KY governor. The Turtle diverted money from MAGA campaigns in 2022 so the disgusting Murkowski could win, and even then they had to change to Ranked Choice voting to get the hag across the line.
RINOs are happy for MAGA to be beaten by Democrats, but when someone like Gaetz tries to get a real conservative as Speaker, he gets labeled a traitor. I wish for once that RINOs would try HALF AS HARD to beat Democrats as they do MAGA. But we all know why that is so. The real two parties are not R and D, but MAGA and the Uniparty.
Apparently, Gaetz did. I thought he wanted him and McCarthy out.
I think they thought they had a plan but it was not a good one as it turns out, though, that was predictible.
Make no mistake, Emmerich will crush the Freedom Caucus abd elimate them from all committes and then do everything in his power to primary them. Great plan, thanks guys.
There's no perfect candidate, for sure. Gaetz can claim victory I guess, if Emmer has a higher scorecard rating from Heritage, ACU, etc than McCarthy - and he does.
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