Behind the rise and fall of Tom Emmer's campaign to become House speaker

It took a stinging gubernatorial election defeat and years away from politics for Tom Emmer to realize he needed a new approach.

As a fiery Republican state legislator, Emmer made headlines for his ardent opposition to same-sex marriage and calls to chemically castrate sex offenders. But Emmer struck a more pragmatic tone when he took congressional office in 2015, more than four years after his gubernatorial defeat by Democrat Mark Dayton.

"In a legislative forum, this environment, it's more about winning people over and not running them over. … I think I had to learn that," Emmer told the Star Tribune then.

Emmer's transformation from a firebrand state representative into a more diplomatic congressman helped vault him into his current position as the third highest-ranking Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives. But that evolution might be what doomed his bid to become the first Minnesota lawmaker to serve as speaker.

Republicans spent most of this month scrambling to find someone who could win the post on the House floor after the unprecedented removal of Kevin McCarthy on Oct. 3.

In a Republican Party that increasingly values hard-line stances, some of Emmer's opponents said he simply wasn't conservative enough for them as they took sides in the chaotic succession fight.

"I just can't support him," Indiana GOP U.S. Rep. Jim Banks, who lost to Emmer in a contentious race last year for the majority whip role, said earlier this week. "I'm a conservative and he's a very moderate member, and I can't go along with it."

Some Emmer opponents, such as far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, objected to his congressional votes to certify the 2020 election results and support federal protections for same-sex couples.

Their opposition came as former President Donald Trump and his allies actively torpedoed Emmer's chances.

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, a fervent Trump ally who's being sued for his baseless election fraud claims, said in an interview Monday that he did not think Emmer, a fellow Minnesotan, was up to the job. Lindell said he'd rather see House Republicans pick Trump as their speaker — even though the former president isn't a member of Congress.

Emmer "pretty much didn't believe there was any fraudulent stuff in the 2020 election," Lindell said. He added that Emmer didn't respond to any of his texts about election fraud claims.

"He just went completely silent," Lindell said.

Emmer openly embraced Trump's presidential campaign in 2016, at a time when many Republicans were still distancing themselves from the former reality television star. But Emmer's vote to certify President Joe Biden's victory over Trump in 2020 angered the former Republican president's supporters.

Before House Republicans chose him as their speaker nominee, Emmer spoke with Trump in an attempt to clear the air. Emmer posted about the call on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying he hoped to continue his "strong working relationship" with Trump.

A day later, Trump called Emmer a RINO — Republican in name only — in a post on his Truth Social account, claiming the Minnesota Republican "fought me all the way."

Becky Scherr, a former communications director for Emmer, said such claims about the congressman are "blatantly untrue."

"He was on Air Force One a number of times; he was at all of the Trump rallies," Scherr said, adding that she thinks Emmer would have worked well with Trump had he become speaker and the former president won election again. "That said, I do think Tom Emmer also understands that there is some skepticism among Republican voters when it comes to Trump."

Emmer's office did not respond to requests for comment.

An abrupt end

The collapse of Emmer's speaker campaign was brutal even by Washington standards. About four hours after he became the Republican speaker nominee, Emmer dropped out of the race and fled from reporters while leaving a House office building.

"It may be that Republicans in the House have been conditioned to just say no unless they get everything they want," GOP U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota told reporters. "Now, that way lies madness."

The following afternoon, less than a day after Emmer's bid fell apart, House Republicans instead were able to elect far-right Louisiana U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson as speaker. Johnson was influential in the failed attempt to oppose certifying Biden's 2020 win in some key states.

Ever the Republican team player, Emmer supported Johnson on the floor and congratulated him on social media afterward.

Speaking at a House Republican news conference afterward, Emmer said that "from an outside point of view these last few weeks probably look like total chaos, confusion, no end in sight."

"But from my perspective, this is one of the greatest experiences in the recent history of our republic," Emmer said.

Emmer was chair of the House Republicans' campaign arm during the 2020 and 2022 election cycles. Republicans picked up a surprising number of seats in 2020 but only narrowly won the House in 2022, falling short of expectations. After that performance, Emmer won a contentious race to become majority whip.

In that role, Emmer built some goodwill from a wide swath within his own party. But that sentiment didn't provide enough support for Emmer to take his speaker bid to a floor vote. While Emmer is a clear conservative, his recent voting record also shows a level of pragmatism often rejected by Trump acolytes and others on the far right.

Emmer has maintained support for Ukraine, even as Minnesota's three other congressional Republicans have voted against help recently. He also went against many in the House GOP by voting for a bill codifying federal protections for same-sex couples despite his previous opposition to same-sex marriage. He voted to help avoid a debt-ceiling disaster and backed a bipartisan effort to keep the government open in the short term, even though both bills had more support from Democrats than Republicans.

"It wasn't helpful to have Democrats saying he's the best pick for speaker because he's not as bad as everybody else," said U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, a moderate Democrat who represents a swing district in Minnesota. "Because the MAGA Republicans don't want anyone who has been seen as willing to work across the aisle."

While he voted to certify the 2020 presidential election, Emmer signed on to an earlier last-ditch legal attempt that failed to invalidate 62 of Biden's Electoral College votes.

Florida GOP U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack called Emmer "a true conservative in every sense of the word," in an interview earlier this month.

"Tom has a unique ability to be exceptionally straightforward," Cammack said at that time. "Where some would come across as abrasive, he just comes across as telling it like it is. And it's very, very simple for Tom. He's very brutally honest with people."

But after Emmer's speaker bid became official, Cammack announced support for one of his more conservative challengers.

Emmer was viewed as a potential candidate even before he entered the race. His swift failure to win the speakership this week is easily the biggest setback the Minnesotan has suffered since losing his run for governor more than a decade ago.

About a week before Emmer announced his bid, Arizona GOP U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs spoke highly of his colleague to a reporter. Biggs was among the small group of Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy, sparking the paralysis that lasted in the House GOP for weeks.

Asked if he wanted to see Emmer potentially run for speaker, Biggs answered, "no, because he's my friend."

"And that's a job no friend should want on another friend," he said.