Tom Emmer emerges from crowded GOP field as new speaker-designate: Who he beat

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota is the new speaker-designate after Republicans voted privately Tuesday.

House Republicans renewed their frantic search Monday, nearly three weeks since Kevin McCarthy was ousted as their leader — effectively bringing the business of lawmaking to a halt and throwing the party in control of Congress’s lower chamber into disarray.

Nine candidates who were officially vying for the gavel participated in a closed-door forum on Capitol Hill Monday night to each make their case in front of the House Republican Conference, which then began voting the following morning. Emmer will now see if he can secure the necessary votes on the House floor to become the next speaker.

The candidates were:

• Tom Emmer, Minnesota

• Mike Johnson, Louisiana

• Jack Bergman, Michigan

• Byron Donalds, Florida

• Kevin Hern, Oklahoma

• Austin Scott, Georgia

• Pete Sessions, Texas

One candidate, Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania, dropped out of the race Monday evening. Gary Palmer of Alabama ended his candidacy Tuesday morning.

Below is a quick guide to each of the candidates and what their chances are of getting 217 votes needed to become the next speaker of the House.

Rep. Tom Emmer

Age: 62
Years served in Congress: 4
Key position: House majority whip

Emmer, the number 3 Republican in leadership, announced his bid for the speakership on Saturday. He was quickly endorsed by McCarthy.

“He sets himself head and shoulders above all those others who want to run,” McCarthy said of Emmer on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday. “We need to get him elected this week and move on, and bring not just this party together but focus on what this country needs most.”

Emmer is one of just two candidates vying for speaker who voted to certify the results of the 2020 election. That vote has provoked the ire of some of former President Donald Trump’s most prominent allies.

Rep. Mike Johnson

Age: 51
Years served in Congress: 6
Key position: Vice chairman of the House Republican Conference

Johnson, an attorney and former talk show host serving in his fourth term, previously supported Rep. Jim Jordan’s failed speakership bid.

“We all agree the urgency of this hour demands a specific plan and bold, decisive action,” Johnson said in a letter to colleagues announcing his candidacy. “It also demands a leader who will humble himself each day before Almighty God, selflessly serve the full membership of this body, and fight ceaselessly for our core conservative principles and policies.”

Rep. Jack Bergman

Age: 76
Years served in Congress: 6
Key position: Serves on the House Armed Services and Veterans' Affairs committees

Bergman, a retired Marine lieutenant general who is in his fourth term, is the oldest candidate on the list.

“The regular functioning of the federal government can’t wait on useless infighting and arguments,” Bergman said in a statement announcing his bid. “What matters right now is choosing a Speaker in order to make sure that our government — and particularly our military — is funded, and that both our homeland and our critical allies are secure in this time of crisis.”

Rep. Gary Palmer

Age: 69
Years served in Congress: 8
Key position: Chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee

The fifth-term congressman, who was elected in 2014, has served as the chairman of the Republican Policy Committee for the last five years.

Rep. Byron Donalds

Age: 44
Years served in Congress: 2
Key committees: Serves on the House Oversight and Reform and Financial Services committees

The 44-year-old is the youngest on the list but arguably the most well-known. He was nominated for speaker in January by influential right-wing Texas Rep. Chip Roy and has become a conservative media staple.

“My sole focus will be securing our border, funding our government responsibly, advancing a conservative vision for the House of Representatives and the American people, and expanding our Republican majority,” Donalds said in a statement announcing his candidacy.

Rep. Kevin Hern

Age: 61
Years served in Congress: 5
Key position: Chairman of the Republican Study Committee

Hern, the chairman of the Republican Study Committee, the largest caucus of conservatives on Capitol Hill, announced his bid Friday when the House Republican Conference voted to drop Jordan as its nominee.

“We must unify and do it fast,” Hern said in a statement announcing his own bid. “We need a different type of leader who has a proven track record of success, which is why I’m running for Speaker of the House.”

Rep. Austin Scott

Age: 53
Years served in Congress: 12
Key committees: Serves on the House Agriculture and Armed Services committees as well as the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

Scott, who had challenged Jordan for speaker and lost in a secret-ballot vote 124-81 after initially supporting him, announced another bid for the gavel on Friday.

“If we are going to be the majority we need to act like the majority, and that means we have to do the right things the right way,” Scott wrote in a post on X. “I supported and voted for Rep. Jim Jordan to be the Speaker of the House. Now that he has withdrawn I am running again to be the Speaker of the House.”

Rep. Pete Sessions

Age: 68
Years served in Congress: 24
Key position: Former chairman of the House Rules committee

Sessions, former chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, is the longest-serving candidate on the list. The Texas congressman lost reelection in 2018 but came back to Congress in 2020.

In a statement, he said he believes that he “can forge a positive path as a conservative leader who can unite the conference.”

Dropped out

Dan Meuser, first elected to represent a rural area of Pennsylvania in 2018, was part of the nonet running for speaker this time around, saying he was going to bring a “business perspective to things and gain consensus.” Meuser announced Monday evening he was dropping out of the race due to other "commitments," including supporting Trump's 2024 campaign in the Keystone State.

Gary Palmer, first elected in 2014, withdrew from the race on Tuesday morning, saying in a statement that he hoped to expedite the process.

Wild cards

McCarthy has not ruled out a return as speaker should the Republican conference fail to elect his permanent replacement. The conference could opt to give North Carolina Rep. Patrick McHenry, who's been filling in as temporary speaker, more powers on an interim basis, but so far the conference has been reluctant to do so.

Jordan and Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, the two nominees after McCarthy who failed to gain the necessary support to grab the gavel, are long shots.

Since you don’t have to be a sitting member of Congress to become speaker, Trump’s name continues to be floated by some people in the Republican Party as someone who could get to 217. Trump offered another alternative during remarks in New Hampshire on Monday.

“There’s only one person that can do it all the way. You know who that is? Jesus Christ,” Trump said. “If Jesus came down and said, ‘I want to be speaker,’ he would do it. Other than that, I haven’t seen anybody that can guarantee it.”