Majority Whip Tom Emmer has ended his speakership bid after he, too, failed to unite the highly fragmented House GOP, according to two people familiar with the situation.
He’s now the third candidate to drop out after failing to secure the 217 votes needed to win the gavel — marking yet another humiliating setback for a party that’s now gone three weeks without a leader. Former President Donald Trump publicly opposed Emmer’s bid just hours after he won the nomination, hardening the stances of the roughly two dozen members who already opposed him.
Reps. Mike Johnson (R-La.), Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) and Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) are all expected to relaunch their bids for the gavel, according to people familiar with their positions, after they all lost to Emmer Tuesday morning in the GOP’s internal secret ballots.
