Could Tom Emmer be the next speaker of the House?
Congressman Tom Emmer speaks in front of an aircraft currently in use by the Minnesota Air National Guard at the Minnesota National Guard's hangar in St. Paul, Minn., Friday, Sept. 15, 2023.
Kerem Yücel | MPR News
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Audio transcript
[THEME MUSIC] CATHY WURZER: We're going to start, though, with the jockeying behind the scenes in the US House over who will become the next Speaker of the House. That body is without a leader for the first time in history after, as I mentioned, Speaker McCarthy was removed from his post yesterday. Multiple lawmakers are vying for the position with some Republicans suggesting that GOP Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota might be a candidate. Here to talk with us about the shakeup is our politics reporter Dana Ferguson. Hey, Dana.
DANA FERGUSON: Hey, Cathy. Thanks for having me.
CATHY WURZER: Oh, thanks for being here. There's a lot up in the air, as you know. But as you also know, there's been some talk about Congressman Emmer moving up in the ranks in the House. What has he said publicly so far?
DANA FERGUSON: Not very much. Congressman Emmer spoke on the floor yesterday in support of McCarthy and told reporters in DC that he wouldn't seek the nomination to become Speaker. But it's worth noting that Politico and other Washington outlets reported earlier today that Emmer was calling around to colleagues vying for the position of Majority Leader should current Majority Leader Steve Scalise get promoted to Speaker. I should note that we haven't confirmed that reporting, and our sources close to Emmer's office have been silent or declined to comment on this so far.
CATHY WURZER: OK. Can you explain where Tom Emmer stands in the House power rankings now and how big a shift this would be?
DANA FERGUSON: Sure. So for some context here, Majority Leader and Majority Whip are the second and third in command behind the Speaker. So Emmer is currently in that number three spot reportedly hoping to move up the chain if Scalise does. Some Republicans, including Representative Matt Gaetz who brought that resolution to oust McCarthy, have floated Emmer's name as a potential candidate for Speaker.
They say he's done a good job in his position as Majority Whip. Emmer has previously served two as chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee which works to elect GOP members to Congress. He was there ahead of the 2020 and 2022 elections.
CATHY WURZER: How about the process to pick the next Speaker. There are rules around who can be nominated, right?
DANA FERGUSON: Yes, and it's a pretty unusual situation that we're in. So the parameters for running for House Speaker are pretty loose. You don't have to be a member of the body to be eligible. So we've heard some Republicans suggest that they'd like to nominate former President Donald Trump. Trump hasn't expressed an interest in the post since he's already running for president.
Republicans say they hope to get a new Speaker in place next week, but as I'm sure you remember from earlier this year, the process of getting to a majority vote when the GOP edge is so slim in the House could take a while. And there could be some extra pressure to move quickly since lawmakers have a November 17th deadline to pass federal budget bills or force a government shutdown. But again, there's just a lot of uncertainty right now.
CATHY WURZER: Yeah, I know you mentioned Congressman Emmer threw his support behind Speaker McCarthy yesterday. Where did the rest of Minnesota's congressional delegation fall?
DANA FERGUSON: The state's four Democratic representatives voted in support of ousting McCarthy from the office, and the four Republican delegates, including Emmer, voted against that resolution. In separate statements, the GOP members said they stood with McCarthy and thought he'd done a good job in his first 10 months in charge and ought to be able to stay there.
CATHY WURZER: Again, there's a lot happening here, but I'm wondering, what do some of the experts say about how this whole situation could affect the 2024 election?
DANA FERGUSON: Yeah, never too early to think about the next election. Republicans who voted to keep McCarthy in office say they're very worried about how this impact-- how this could impact their ability to keep control over the House and possibly win a majority in the Senate next year. And they said the move could make them look dysfunctional. They also said they worry it could set them back in terms of their ability to act as a check and balance on the Biden administration.
CATHY WURZER: All right, a lot happening here. Dana Ferguson, thank you for the update.
DANA FERGUSON: Thanks, Cathy.
CATHY WURZER: Dana is a political reporter with MPR News.
DANA FERGUSON: Hey, Cathy. Thanks for having me.
CATHY WURZER: Oh, thanks for being here. There's a lot up in the air, as you know. But as you also know, there's been some talk about Congressman Emmer moving up in the ranks in the House. What has he said publicly so far?
DANA FERGUSON: Not very much. Congressman Emmer spoke on the floor yesterday in support of McCarthy and told reporters in DC that he wouldn't seek the nomination to become Speaker. But it's worth noting that Politico and other Washington outlets reported earlier today that Emmer was calling around to colleagues vying for the position of Majority Leader should current Majority Leader Steve Scalise get promoted to Speaker. I should note that we haven't confirmed that reporting, and our sources close to Emmer's office have been silent or declined to comment on this so far.
CATHY WURZER: OK. Can you explain where Tom Emmer stands in the House power rankings now and how big a shift this would be?
DANA FERGUSON: Sure. So for some context here, Majority Leader and Majority Whip are the second and third in command behind the Speaker. So Emmer is currently in that number three spot reportedly hoping to move up the chain if Scalise does. Some Republicans, including Representative Matt Gaetz who brought that resolution to oust McCarthy, have floated Emmer's name as a potential candidate for Speaker.
They say he's done a good job in his position as Majority Whip. Emmer has previously served two as chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee which works to elect GOP members to Congress. He was there ahead of the 2020 and 2022 elections.
CATHY WURZER: How about the process to pick the next Speaker. There are rules around who can be nominated, right?
DANA FERGUSON: Yes, and it's a pretty unusual situation that we're in. So the parameters for running for House Speaker are pretty loose. You don't have to be a member of the body to be eligible. So we've heard some Republicans suggest that they'd like to nominate former President Donald Trump. Trump hasn't expressed an interest in the post since he's already running for president.
Republicans say they hope to get a new Speaker in place next week, but as I'm sure you remember from earlier this year, the process of getting to a majority vote when the GOP edge is so slim in the House could take a while. And there could be some extra pressure to move quickly since lawmakers have a November 17th deadline to pass federal budget bills or force a government shutdown. But again, there's just a lot of uncertainty right now.
CATHY WURZER: Yeah, I know you mentioned Congressman Emmer threw his support behind Speaker McCarthy yesterday. Where did the rest of Minnesota's congressional delegation fall?
DANA FERGUSON: The state's four Democratic representatives voted in support of ousting McCarthy from the office, and the four Republican delegates, including Emmer, voted against that resolution. In separate statements, the GOP members said they stood with McCarthy and thought he'd done a good job in his first 10 months in charge and ought to be able to stay there.
CATHY WURZER: Again, there's a lot happening here, but I'm wondering, what do some of the experts say about how this whole situation could affect the 2024 election?
DANA FERGUSON: Yeah, never too early to think about the next election. Republicans who voted to keep McCarthy in office say they're very worried about how this impact-- how this could impact their ability to keep control over the House and possibly win a majority in the Senate next year. And they said the move could make them look dysfunctional. They also said they worry it could set them back in terms of their ability to act as a check and balance on the Biden administration.
CATHY WURZER: All right, a lot happening here. Dana Ferguson, thank you for the update.
DANA FERGUSON: Thanks, Cathy.
CATHY WURZER: Dana is a political reporter with MPR News.
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