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.
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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."