Emmer withdraws from race for Speaker of the US House of Representatives

Congressman from Minnesota Tom Emmer, whom the Republicans of the US House of Representatives had previously chosen as a candidate for the post of speaker, abandoned the fight, CNN and Reuters report.

Republican Lance Gooden told CNN that there will likely be another race for speaker, but for now the Republican Party Conference is taking a break to figure out “what to do next.”

“Emmer wanted to do what was best for the conference, but he didn’t have enough votes, so he withdrew and received a standing ovation, and now we move on to the next stage,” he said.

The congressman also called what was happening “a big setback,” noting that Republicans have become so accustomed to them that “one setback doesn’t seem worse than another.”

Republican Jim Banks, who did not support his fellow party member, said that Emmer is “not a conservative,” expressing hope that another candidate can be found, Reuters reports.

The withdrawal of the candidacy occurred after former President Donald Trump criticized Emmer on his social network Truth Social and called him a RINO (Republican in name only). He also warned party members that voting for Emmer would be a “tragic mistake”. Although, before the results of the secret ballot were announced, the former president said that he was trying to stay “as far away from the process as possible.” Despite publications in the media, Emmer’s associates deny rumors about the congressman’s difficult relationship with the ex-president.

Given the Republicans’ fragile margin in the House of Representatives, Emmer could only afford to lose four party votes. In a test vote, he did not receive the support of 25 Republicans (20 voted against, five abstained). As CNN reported, citing sources, Emmer’s opponents began to persuade other party members to vote against him.

How wrote previously Vedomosti, Emmer was chosen as a candidate for speaker on October 24 after five rounds of voting. According to the rules, if at the end of the first round none of the candidates receives a majority of votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is automatically eliminated from the race and another round of voting is held.

Emmer is the third-highest-ranking Republican in the House, behind Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Speaker pro tempore Patrick McHenry.

Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy was removed from office in a vote on October 3. The resolution was proposed by his fellow party member and representative of the right wing of the Republican Party, Matt Gaetz. On October 11, following a secret ballot, Republican Steve Scalise won the nomination for Speaker of the House of Representatives, but on October 12 he refused to run. His replacement, Jim Jordan, after three unsuccessful rounds of voting in the House of Representatives, lost the nomination on October 20 as a result of a secret vote of fellow party members.