Emmer is nominee for Speaker

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SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
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By CASEY HARPER | THE CENTER SQUARE

U.S. Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., is the latest to emerge as Republicans’ nominee to be the next House speaker, after a series of votes Tuesday by the GOP caucus behind closed doors.

Emmer faces an uphill battle getting the needed 217 votes on the House floor as House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan failed before him already this month.

Nine Republican lawmakers had thrown their hat in the ring to become speaker, U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., said Sunday.

“Today at 9 am, I will gavel in the House GOP Organizing Conference for the purpose of electing a Speaker. Each candidate will be nominated by one colleague,” Stefanik wrote Tuesday morning on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Some candidates withdrew their name from the race. U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Penn., said late Monday he was withdrawing from the race.

U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Ala., made the same announcement Tuesday morning.

“I will work with the next speaker on the ideas I have laid out so Congress can come together and do the job the American people sent us here to do,” Palmer wrote on X. “With this in mind, I am withdrawing my name from consideration for Speaker.”

With Rep. Jim Jordan out as Speaker, might this UAF alumnus score the seat?

The speakership race has led to more division and rancor in the Republican party, meaning whoever does win the speakership will have a tough road ahead of them to fund the government by the mid-November shutdown deadline.

Congress also faces ongoing calls to send funds overseas to help Ukraine and Israel in their respective wars.

The initial nine candidates in the race were as follows:

  • Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Mich.
  • Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla.
  • Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn.
  • Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla.
  • Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La.
  • Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Penn.
  • Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Ala.
  • Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga.
  • Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas

If any nominee fails to get the votes, one of these could likely be next in line to give it a shot, and so on. The House has gone about three weeks without a speaker.

“The American people elected us to deliver on a conservative agenda that secures our border, stops reckless spending, and holds Joe Biden accountable,” Emmer wrote on X earlier this week. “We cannot afford to fail them. I’m running for Speaker of the House to bring our conference together and get back to work.”

14 COMMENTS

  1. Well the uniparty is happy. The go along to get along candidate for speaker in the vast corruption that is Congress is nominated while the ship of state takes on more and more water (debt, war, social division). They will happily rearrange the deck chairs and do nothing, but continue business as usual. Our currency becomes worthless, the debt unrepayable, our wealth looted, the police state emboldened, and forever wars unstopped. We live in a shoddy age complete with shoddy leaders.

    Jeffrey Tucker wrote an interesting article a few days ago about why Jim Jordan was cast aside. The pull quote was he would have been too close (number #3) to the presidency- especially as the top two persons are wobbly in the extreme- and the administrative state could not abide that. He would be way too close to the center of power. The uniparty decided some years ago never to allow another populist – meaning someone who actually responds to the public in reality and not just in rhetoric – near the center of power. For many people in Washington, this was a huge problem. And consequently the awful nomination of Emmer. I hope he continues the losing streak. The best Speaker is no speaker, as they can’t stop themselves from continuing failing policies or show any signs of leadership.

  2. The House Freedom Caucus Republicans have already decided to immolate at Donald Trump’s direction. Not sure why anybody would think this is a good idea

    • Could it be Hakeem Jeffries is a little too Radical for the job of Speaker the dems are propping up like a king by voting unanimously time after time after time like lemmings.

      • So you’re upset because the democrats are actually united and the Republicans can’t get their act together? They’re in the majority and can’t even do the very thing they were sent to Washington to do, which is govern.

    • Frank, only trouble with your reasoning is that Kevin was supported by the Trumpster.

      As for immolation , I give you one Rashida Tlaib, a woman who apparently is a Hamas devotee. A jew hating Democrat, who would have believed that was possible?

  5. Glad to see he’s out…..but, but,…..he was such such a great representation of hockey players exploiting UAF for free degrees…..

  6. He’s already out.

    Matt Gaetz quest to give the Speakership to Jefferies continues full speed.

    Can’t help but to wonder how many House seats this will cost. The GOP has proven they are unwilling and unwilling (not or) to lead.

    • It can’t cost more than Emmer cost us for going against MAGA candidates in the 2022 primary. Then again, there was so much evidence of fraud in the primaries, none of this matters.

      Honestly, Gaetz is a hero for exposing how broken the “Republican” arm of the uni-party really is. Firing McCarthy is truly the best thing to happen in politics in my lifetime. Finally firing these people who keep destroying the country. We can’t do it via our broken election system so I’m glad to see it being done in congress. Who cares if Jeffries gets it? McCarthy was doing their bidding already and he needed to be stopped.

  7. Mr. Trump has torpedoed Emmer. Somewhere along the pathway that will lead to the election of Hakeem Jeffries as Speaker, the Trumpobots might want to consider how they have brought that about. Please know this: Mr. Trump cares only about Mr. Trump.

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