GOP’s internal politics is nothing short of an epic saga of mistrust, betrayal, defraud, and bullying on Truth Social.
It all started on October 3, 2023, when Rep. Kevin McCarthy became the first Speaker to be ever removed as the majority voted for a ‘motion to vacate.’ McCarthy was ousted for mishandling government expenditures and funds ever since the GOP led the House of Representatives.
The vacant seat ticked off another race for a speaker as the potential candidates strategized their positions in the House to gain the vote of confidence among the representatives. However, it seems the throne is turning into a curse.
The first nominee, Steve Scalise of Louisiana, dropped out after failing to accumulate substantial internal votes. Then, the second prospect, Jim Jordan of Ohio, met with a similar fate as the party backed out from voting for him.
Thinking the third time is a charm, the GOP nominated another potential candidate, but the curse follows–
Tom Emmer, a former businessman and attorney who served as the U.S. Representative from Minnesota, gained substantial votes through an internal election to be nominated for the Speaker on October 24, 2023. However, on the same day, he withdrew from the race to become the Speaker after the statistics suggested that he was short of 217 votes from the representatives.
Who Is Tom Emmer?
Tom Emmer started as an attorney in Minnesota, where he developed an interest in politics. A few years later, he earned the position as the Republican representative of Minnesota and served in the stated 6th congressional district since 2015.
Emmer also co-hosted a morning talk radio program with Bob Davis on KTLK in Minneapolis (per his Wikipedia).
Due to his high credentials and Republican policies, Emmer gained quite a rep in the House of Representatives.
As a result, he dominated the internal votes for the nomination, defeating GOP Conference Vice Chair Mike Johnson of Louisiana in the fifth and final round. He won with a landslide of 117 to 97, with five Republicans voting for other candidates.
Why Did Emmer Drop Out of the Speaker Race?
Even after earning a nomination through internal voting, Tom Emmer failed to maintain his streak among the GOP representatives.
Moreover, the former president and running Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump took to Truth Social to express his opinions on Emmer. He wrote in the post–
“I have many wonderful friends wanting to be Speaker of the House, and some are truly great Warriors. RINO Tom Emmer, who I do not know well, is not one of them,” Trump said. “He never respected the power of a Trump Endorsement, or the breadth and scope of MAGA — MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Trump, along with more than 20 Republican lawmakers, decided on ‘no support’ to the third nominee.
Emmer needed 217 votes more to claim the coveted position of the Speaker. But after reevaluating his chances, Emmer decided to back out from the bid for the Speaker’s seat on the same day he earned a nomination.
Latest Update On US House Speaker Elections
Due to the turmoil within the party, Republicans are challenged to hold their power in the House. The representatives held a hasty meeting later on Tuesday evening, where the Republican lawmakers nominated a new batch of six candidates–
- Byron Donalds of Florida
- Chuck Fleischmann of Tennessee
- Mark Green, also of Tennessee
- Kevin Hern of Oklahoma
- Mike Johnson of Louisiana
- Roger Williams of Texas
And in the latest news, Rep. Mike Johnson won the GOP nomination on Tuesday night, surpassing Rep. Byron Donalds. He is now the fourth nominee after Tom Emmer’s dropped out.
What are your thoughts on this case? Do you think Tom Emmer would have been a valuable speaker to the House of Representatives? Do you agree with Trump’s views on Emmer? What do you think of the new nominee, Mike Johnson?
Let us know in the comments section below.
