Who is Tom Emmer? The latest House speaker hopeful endorsed by McCarthy

Minnesota Congressman Tom Emmer has officially thrown his hat into the ring for Speaker of the House as the legislative branch heads into its third, leaderless week.

Representative Emmer announced his bid on Saturday to become the next Republican speaker in a lengthy statement on X, formely Twitter.

“I will always be honest and direct with all of you, even if we disagree. I will never make a promise I cannot fulfill. I expect to be held accountable and you can expect that we will also keep you to your word,” Rep. Emmer wrote.

His announcement comes after Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan failed to obtain enough votes in his third attempt to grasp the speakership. The GOP conference held a secret vote determining they would no longer support the bid of Mr Jordan, a founder of the far-right House Freedom Caucus.

Mr Emmer, who serves as majority whip for the House GOP, will be the latest to attempt to secure 217 votes.

Who is Tom Emmer?

Thomas “Tom” Emmer has proven himself to be a traditional and reliable conservative, chairing the National Republican Congressional Committee for four years and being elected the House majority whip in 2022.

The 62-year-old was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2015 to represent Minnesota’s 6th district. He serves on the Committee on Financial Services as well as two subcommittees, one on Capital Markets and the other on Digital Assets, Financial Technology and Inclusion.

Prior to holding national office, Mr Emmer served in Minnesota’s State House of Representatives for six years during which he made an unsuccessful bid for governor – losing by less than 10,000 votes.

He’s been married to his wife Jacqueline for 37 years and the couple have seven children.

Mr Emmer is one of the lesser-known members of his caucus because he’s relatively quiet compared to some of his far-right colleagues.

Notably, while many Republicans were predicting a “red wave” during the last US midterm elections, Mr Emmer was sounding a note of caution. “Don’t be measuring the drapes,” he said at the time.

But despite appearing more laid-back, Mr Emmer’s legislative track record is deeply loyal to his party on nearly all fronts.

Mr Emmer has backed legislation which supports parental rights, loosens environmental protections, is anti-abortion and eases firearm restrictions. He supported bringing articles of impeachment against President Joe Biden and has doubted scientific evidence of the climate crisis.

He expressed support for former president Donald Trump when he was faced federal indictment over the Jan 6 riots at the US Capitol.

But he also voted to certify the 2020 results after Mr Trump’s false claims that the election had been stolen.

What has Emmer said about the speaker race?

Mr Emmer previously supported Kevin McCarthy in his bid for the speakership saying he appreciated “his willingness to change the way this institution operates”.

But after Mr McCarthy was ousted from his position in early October, Mr Emmer’s name was thrown into the mix of potential successors – though he initially said he wouldn’t make a bid for Speaker.

Instead, Mr Emmer supported the number two House Republican, Steve Scalise. When Mr Scalise’s bid failed, he then supported Mr Jordan, “because they stepped into the void with the intent and vision to lead and unite us”.

But now that three GOP speakers have failed in their bids, Mr Emmer has decided to have a go.

He has even been endorsed by Mr McCarthy who toldPunchbowl News that Mr Emmer “is the right person for the job”.

“He can unite the conference. He understands the dynamics of the conference. He also understands what it takes to win and keep a majority,” the California Republican added.

What remains to be seen is if Mr Emmer will reach the necessary number of votes - particularly if Donald Trump fails to endorse him.

The former president has reportedly expressed disapproval of Mr Emmer and said he won’t back him for speaker because he hasn’t endorsed Mr Trump in the 2024 White House race, according to Politico.