Emmer gives up his candidacy for the chairman of the House of Representatives

2023-10-25 08:31:41, Kosova & Bota CNA

Emmer gives up his candidacy for the chairman of the House of Representatives

Legislator Tom Emmer

Lawmaker Tom Emmer dropped out of his bid for House speaker on Tuesday, just hours after receiving the nomination from his fellow Republicans, continuing the partisan infighting that has paralyzed Congress for more than three weeks, a Republican representative said.

Republican Emmer, who holds the third-most important post in the House of Representatives, secured the nomination after five rounds of voting but appeared to be at least 20 votes short of the 217 needed to take over the speakership, lawmakers said.

He abruptly left a meeting about his appointment, walking past reporters and leaving the building without answering questions from the press.

Jim Jordan again fails to be elected speaker of the House of Representatives
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The fourth Republican nominee for the job will find himself facing the uncertainties of the previous three candidates, trying to win the support of a small group of hard-line Republicans who have the power to vote for his future.

"I hope we can find another choice," said Jim Banks, one of the Republican lawmakers who said he would vote against Mr. Emmer. "Tom Emmer is not conservative".

The 62-year-old Emmer is more moderate than many other House Republicans. Unlike many in his own party, he voted to certify Democratic President Joe Biden's 2020 victory against Republican Donald Trump amid the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the Capitol by Mr. Trump's supporters.

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Mr. Trump said it would be a "tragic mistake" to support the Minnesota lawmaker for the presidency. "He is completely out of touch with Republican voters," Trump wrote on social media.

Earlier this month, Mr. Trump endorsed the candidacy of hardline lawmaker Jim Jordan for the post of speaker of the House of Representatives. But he withdrew his candidacy after failing in three votes.

Already, Republicans have rejected two candidates for the post of speaker, leaving the House of Representatives without a leader since a small group of lawmakers dismissed Mr. Kevin McCarthy from office on October 3./ VOA