The new GOP nominee for speaker is trying to convince more than two dozen Republican holdouts to back him in a vote on the House floor as soon as Tuesday.
Rep. Tom Emmer, the majority whip, needs roughly 217 GOP votes to win the speaker’s gavel. But 26 GOP lawmakers are withholding their support, according to a tally taken behind closed doors.
Mr. Emmer met with the holdouts to try to convince them to vote for him as he seeks to avoid the fate of Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, who lost his bid for speaker three times due to opposition from about two dozen Republicans. No floor vote has been scheduled.
Mr. Emmer, of Minnesota, is the GOP’s third nominee for speaker since eight hardline conservatives voted with all Democrats on Oct. 3 to remove Kevin McCarthy of California from the job. Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana also won the nomination but dropped out before a floor vote when he could not round up enough support.
Rep. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota said some Republicans do not think Mr. Emmer is conservative enough, while others want someone elected to the job who is from outside of the current leadership ranks.
“They think completely new blood is necessary,” Mr. Johnson said, describing the position of some of Mr. Emmer’s opponents.
Mr. Johnson said Mr. Emmer plans to huddle with his opposition to try to convince them to vote for him.
“We are going to be in this room,” Mr. Emmer told lawmakers, according to Mr. Johnson. “And we’re going to talk about how to move forward.”
Mr. Emmer and the holdouts left around 2 p.m. with plans to reconvene later Tuesday afternoon.
“We could get there,” said Rep. Brian Mast, Florida Republican, when asked whether Mr. Emmer can win enough votes on the floor. “It’s not there yet.”
The pro-Trump wing of the party frowns on Mr. Emmer, in part because he has not endorsed the former president in the GOP presidential primary, where Mr. Trump is the prohibitive favorite.
Mr. Emmer was also among the GOP lawmakers who did not oppose certifying President Biden’s 2020 victory, a decision that has earned him opposition among staunch Trump supporters. He said he is not endorsing any GOP candidate in the presidential primary.
Mr. Trump earlier had endorsed Mr. Jordan’s nomination for speaker.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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