Who is Tom Emmer, new Republican nominee for US House Speaker?
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Mr Tom Emmer, who currently serves as the No. 3 Republican in the House, won the nomination in a fifth round of voting.
PHOTO: AFP
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WASHINGTON – US House Republicans picked Majority Leader Tom Emmer as their nominee for Speaker
Here are some facts about Emmer:
Minnesota
Mr Emmer, 62, has represented Minnesota’s 6th congressional district since 2015, covering suburbs to the north-west of Minneapolis, winning 62 per cent of the vote in 2022.
He grew up in the state and received a political science degree from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, then a law degree from William Mitchell College of Law in St Paul, Minnesota.
He practised as a lawyer for two decades before winning election to the House in 2004.
He and his wife Jacquie have been married for more than 30 years and have seven children, according to his official biography.
Leadership role
Mr Emmer served as chair of the House Republicans’ campaign arm from 2019 to 2022, helping to win back the majority in 2022 before being elected majority whip.
Both roles gave him face time with a wide swath of members in the Republican conference, although he has never served as chair of a major committee.
Policy stances
Mr Emmer is a relative moderate compared to other House Republicans – he voted in favour of federal legislation recognising same-sex marriage in 2022, and voted to certify former president Donald Trump’s defeat in the 2020 election.
He supports aid for Ukraine and voted for the short-term resolution keeping the United States government funded in late September.
He currently sits on the Financial Services Committee and is a co-chair of the Congressional Blockchain Caucus.
Relationship with Trump
Mr Emmer faced criticism from some far right Republicans in the House for not being close enough with Trump, in particular for not endorsing his campaign for the 2024 Republican nomination for president.
Mr Emmer has pushed back on this, pointing to his endorsements of Trump in 2016 and 2020, and adding that other Republican leaders have also not endorsed Trump yet, including former speaker nominee Steve Scalise and former speaker Kevin McCarthy. REUTERS
