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Support for Tom Emmer collapses as he’s rejected by MAGA conservatives for Majority Leader post

October 5, 2023 | | Print Article

Amid the fallout from the removal of Rep. Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker, other key leadership positions are being eyed by potential contenders, including who will be the next House Majority Leader.

But no sooner had Republican Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota announced his interest in running for the position, when he was met by a formidable wall of opposition – reportedly from allies of former President Donald Trump.

The GOP’s current House Majority Whip has earned the wrath of Trump supporters and, according to a new report from Time citing “multiple sources familiar with the matter,” allies of the former president “began plotting to derail his candidacy” soon after Emmer commented about a potential bid for the leadership position.

Sources close to the leadership negotiations are confident that there are enough representatives who would oppose Emmer and make his nomination nearly impossible. The comments come as the U.S. House of Representatives remains in limbo with McCarthy’s exit and names like Reps. Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Jim Jordan of Ohio are stepping up to make a bid for the speakership.

Jim Banks, a top conservative in the House has made the suggestion that Rep. Elise Stefanik would make a promising majority leader.

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“The source of MAGA World’s grievances against Emmer are manifold,” the Time article noted, listing examples from the lawmaker who has been a member of Congress since 2015 and was the National Republican Congressional Committee chair.

“Emmer voted to certify Joe Biden’s 2020 election. As the head of the National Republican Congressional Committee in 2022, he reportedly implored Republican candidates in the midterms to distance themselves from Trump. And he’s been telling GOP donors that he won’t support Trump’s 2024 presidential primary campaign,” Time reported.

“You can’t have the majority leader of the Republican Party being very anti-Trump and against his agenda,” one source close to the former president told the outlet. “That’s just not going to work. There’s no trust there.”

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Emmer’s anti-Trump history, however, would likely doom any working relationship with Trump should he be re-elected, despite the fact that Emmer’s current position as House Majority Whip lands him next in line to advance up the congressional ladder.

His warning to GOP candidates to “focus on the issues that matter to voters” ahead of the 2022 midterms, when he was leading the National Republican Congressional Committee, is one of many moves by the Republican that are being cited by his critics.

“Another Republican strategist who participated in NRCC meetings at the time tells TIME that Emmer counseled House candidates to avoid talk of Trump. ‘Tom Emmer repeatedly told candidates across the country not to cozy up to Donald Trump because he could be a drag on their race,’ the operative says,” according to Time.

Emmer’s name was briefly floated as a replacement for McCarthy as speaker.

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Emmer has denied the accusations and said last month that Trump “has been a fantastic ally” of the committee.

“Whip Emmer is focused on earning the support of his colleagues for House Majority Leader,” Michael McAdams, an aide to Emmer, told Time. “If he is successful in that effort, he looks forward to working with President Trump just like he did as NRCC Chair.”

But his failure as whip to actually whip up votes has added to the criticisms leveled against him. Ahead of the threat of a government shutdown, Emmer failed last month to secure enough votes to pass a rule to fund the Pentagon, a blow to McCarthy at the time. Sources tell this publication that members are frustrated with Emmer for pitching himself for a position that is not currently vacant. They see it as a distraction from filling the speakership.

Social media response to Emmer taking on a new leadership role in the House GOP was adamant:

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Frieda Powers
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