Republicans tap Emmer as speaker nominee

Republicans tapped Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) as their speaker-designate during a closed-door candidate election on Tuesday morning, defeating Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) in the final round.

The victory makes him the third lawmaker to secure the party’s nomination as the House scrambles to elect a new leader just three weeks before the government is scheduled to shut down.

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The closed-door election marks the third time House Republicans have chosen a speaker-designate in as many weeks, with GOP lawmakers seeking to move his nomination to the floor for a full vote as early as Tuesday afternoon.

Republicans started the day with eight candidates on the secret ballot, which shortly fell to seven after Rep. Gary Palmer (R-AL) announced he would drop his bid moments before voting began.

Members went through four rounds of voting, of which Emmer emerged as the winner of each. However, the majority whip failed to win the simple majority on the first two ballots, triggering a subsequent round.

Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) was dropped during the first round, followed by Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI) in the second and Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA) in the third. Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK) was eliminated in the fourth round, during which Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) voluntarily dropped out of the race.

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Donalds announced he would withdraw shortly after lawmakers submitted their ballots, meaning Hern was the candidate with the lowest vote, resulting in his elimination.

After a nominee is chosen, members will have a voice roll call to determine conference support before heading to the floor.