Tom Emmer's Speakership Bid Officially Fails according to Vanity Fair

Written by Abigail Tracy

Less than a month after eight rebel lawmakers voted to remove Kevin McCarthy from his position as Speaker, the disoriented House Republican caucus experienced another loss on Tuesday evening. The latest Republican to attempt to win the House Speakership, Tom Emmer, fell short after five anonymous ballot votes and one roll-call vote. His failure forced the Republicans to continue their search for a new leader. Emmer is said to have withdrawn his candidacy during a confidential meeting on Capitol Hill, as hope for his success waned.

Earlier, Emmer had emerged as the prospective Speaker after he outvoted eight other candidates in the ongoing effort by House Republicans to find a suitable successor to McCarthy. Despite winning in total 117 votes in a runoff against colleague Mike Johnson, it soon became obvious that Emmer lacked the necessary support to secure victory on the House floor, prompting a short recess.

A number of Republican lawmakers expressed doubts that the majority whip could gain the support of the remaining two dozen plus holdouts as they left the roll-call vote on Tuesday afternoon. Texas representative Troy Nehls commented to reporters that the odds were against Emmer. However, other Republicans, including South Dakota representative Dusty Johnson and Vern Buchanan, were more positive about Emmer's chances, commending his leadership and his determination to convince the holdouts to support his bid.

Steve Scalise, who had previously dropped out of the Speaker race, highlighted the numerous challenges that Emmer would have to overcome. One significant challenge that Emmer met head-on was the interference from former President Donald Trump, who criticized Emmer and labeled him a "RINO" for "Republican in name only". Trump's allies reportedly spread this post among House Republicans.

Emmer's failure is not only a setback for Republicans, but also a disappointment for Democrats. House Democrats thought Emmer to be the best option out of a slate of candidates and considered intentionally missing votes to aid his bid. However, Steny Hoyer, the former second-in-command of House Democratic leadership, did not confirm if Democrats would help Emmer on the House floor. He stated that he won't make a comment until the Republican Party arrives at a decision.

After all these discussions and events, the Republicans have to start their search for a Speaker from scratch as tensions continue to rise within the caucus.