Emmer Drops Out Of House Speaker Race After Trump Calls 'RINO', Supporters Bail
Update (1640ET): House GOP chaos continues after Rep. Tim Emmer (R-MN) - who earlier in the day won an internal ballot for nominee - dropped out, CNBC reports.
As The Hill notes;
Emmer won the GOP nomination over House GOP Vice Chairman Mike Johnson (La.) in a secret ballot 117-97, but in a secondary roll call vote 26 Republicans voted present or for another person, according to House GOP Conference Secretary Lisa McClain (R-Mich.).If all members vote present and for a specific candidate, Emmer could only afford to lose four Republicans and still win the Speakership on the House floor.
Emmer's withdrawal after a group of Republicans made clear they wouldn't back him on the House floor. The move also come after former President Trump called Emmer a "RINO," and said that voting for him "would be a tragic mistake."
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After kicking Jim Jordan (R-OH) down an elevator shaft, House Republicans have elected majority whip Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) as the GOP speaker nominee on the fifth ballot in an internal race which drew nine Republican candidates.
Emmer's nomination now moves to the House floor, where he will need at least 217 votes to pass.
The other caandidates were Reps. Jack Bergman, Mich.; Byron Donalds, Fla.; Tom Emmer, Minn., Kevin Hern, Okla., Mike Johnson, La.; Gary Palmer, Ala.; Austin Scott, Ga.; and Pete Sessions, Texas.
As Just the News notes, Rep. Dan Meuser (R-PA) dropped out of the race Monday evening, while Palmer dropped out Tuesday.
Each candidate signed a unity pledge to support the speaker nominee on the House floor - however it doesn't appear that he'll have the votes needed at this stage.
EMMER lacks 217 behind closed doors lawmakers say
— Erik Wasson (@elwasson) October 24, 2023
According to the report, the top four candidates on the first, second and third ballot were reportedly Emmer, Johnson, Donalds and Hern.
The GOP-controlled lower chamber has been without a speaker for nearly three weeks after Rep. Kevin McCarthy was ousted after 8 GOP members joined with Democrats.
According to Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), there's a "level of exhaustion setting in" the GOP conference.
"I think there’s like, maybe more accurately, a sense of gravity given the many things we have to get done over the next two months, ranging from defense appropriations to dealing with a supplemental FISA reform and the Farm Bill," he said, referring to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) - who refused to back Jim Jordan, said that after the nominee is chosen, "Then we got to figure out will people consolidate behind the leader, and they should. I hope they do."
