Despite cordial phone call, Trump reposts attack against Emmer on social media
From CNN's Manu Raju
Former President Donald Trump reposted attacks against House speaker candidate Rep. Tom Emmer on social media Monday evening, despite the Minnesota Republican's cordial phone call with the former president.
House Republicans are set to meet Tuesday morning to pick a new speaker nominee from a crowded field. Emmer, who serves as majority whip, is considered the front-runner in the race. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is backing Emmer, delivering an early boost to his candidacy. But Emmer, who voted to certify the 2020 election, could face an uphill battle, as some allies of former President Donald Trump have been critical of his candidacy.
Leaving a GOP conference meeting Monday night, Emmer told CNN, “We have a good relationship,” when asked about Trump.
29 min ago
The House GOP is expected to vote for a speaker nominee this morning. Here's how the process will work
From CNN's Haley Talbot
House Republicans will meet Tuesday morning to pick a new speaker.
With multiple candidates currently in the running, members will cast a successive series of secret ballots, with the candidate who garners the fewest number of votes in each round dropped from the running.
The process will continue until there are only two candidates left or, until one candidate receives a majority of the conferences’ votes — whichever comes first.
Here, a plurality of votes is not enough. The winning candidate will need 50% +1 of the conference or a minimum of 113 votes. The conference vote is expected to take several hours as there will be several rounds of votes.
Rep. Jack Bergman of Michigan, a retired 40-year veteran of the US Marines.
Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, a second-term member of the far-right Freedom Caucus.
GOP Whip Tom Emmer, a Minnesota Republican who is endorsed by Kevin McCarthy.
Rep. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma, chair of the conservative group known as the Republican Study Committee – which wields a large bloc of GOP members.
Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana, the vice chairman for the House Republican Conference.
Rep. Gary Palmer of Alabama, the chairman of the Republican Policy Committee.
Austin Scott of Georgia, the seven-term ally of McCarthy who quickly dropped out of a last-minute challenge to Jim Jordan last week.
Rep. Pete Sessions, the longtime Texas Republican once entangled in scandal after pushing for the ouster of the US ambassador to Ukraine who was critical of Trump.
The speaker-designee will determine the next floor vote.
28 min ago
Analysis: A critical position in American politics has devolved into a nightmare
From CNN's Stephen Collinson
Winning a majority party’s nomination for speaker of the House of Representatives usually elevates a lawmaker into the pantheon of American political leaders.
But such is the toxicity of the GOP three weeks after the ouster of Speaker Kevin McCarthy that the nominee expected to emerge on Tuesday may never get the top job.
The nomination is an assignment to what may be an impossible political mission to unite a conference that might never be reconciled. And even if the nominee wins the gavel, the next speaker has a reasonable chance of a tenure even shorter than McCarthy, who lasted nine months.
But this is about more than the plight of a Republican Party that often looks like it’s tearing itself apart. If the dysfunctional House GOP majority cannot get its act together, the US government could run out of funding before Thanksgiving week – and millions of Americans could pay the price.
As lawmakers returned to Washington on Monday, there was a growing sense of rising public frustration about a House that has been paralyzed for three weeks, as global crises boil and the shutdown deadline approaches.
Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan said his constituents “think all of us are incapable.” Buchanan, who is supporting fellow Sunshine State lawmaker Byron Donalds for speaker, added: “People are very angry and upset.”
Eight hopefuls are expected to line up on Tuesday in a secret ballot as the party tries to pick a nominee, following the failures of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan to replace McCarthy. The candidates made their pitches to a meeting of the party conference on Monday night. But while one candidate is expected to emerge from secret balloting, there is no guarantee he will be able to get the required majority in the full House – given the extreme splits in the GOP between some of the far-right hardliners who helped eject McCarthy and more moderate lawmakers in battleground districts.
Because of their tiny majority, almost every Republican must back the nominee for him to become speaker – a longshot in a conference that is deeply divided. Ex-President Donald Trump has been fielding calls from top candidates seeking his endorsement but joked on Monday that only divine intervention could end the crisis.
“I said there’s only one person who can do it all the way,” Trump said in New Hampshire. “You know who that is? Jesus Christ. If Jesus came down and said, ‘I want to be speaker,’ he would do it.”
House GOP gets set to pick new speaker nominee from a crowded field
From CNN's Clare Foran, Haley Talbot and Kristin Wilson
House Republicans will meet Tuesday morning to pick a new speaker nominee from a crowded field, though it remains unclear whether any candidate can lock down the 217 votes needed to ultimately win the gavel.
The vote to pick a nominee will take place behind closed doors via secret ballot. Eight Republicans are in the running after Rep. Jim Jordan was pushed out of the race following three failed floor votes. Pressure is intensifying on House Republicans three weeks after the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, which has left the House in a state of paralysis.
With multiple candidates in the running, members will cast a successive series of secret ballots and the candidate who garners the fewest number of votes in each round will be dropped from the running. The winning candidate will need a majority of the conference behind them.
Notably, however, winning a majority of the conference is a lower bar to clear than what’s needed to win the gavel on the floor. That requires a majority of the full chamber. Given the intense divisions within the conference and the GOP’s narrow majority, whoever emerges as the nominee will face tough vote math ahead.
Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota, who serves as majority whip, is considered the front-runner in the race. McCarthy is backing Emmer, delivering an early boost to his candidacy. But the Minnesota Republican, who voted to certify the 2020 election, could face an uphill battle, as some allies of former President Donald Trump have been critical of his candidacy.
Leaving a GOP conference meeting Monday night, Emmer told CNN, “We have a good relationship,” when asked about Trump.
The other candidates are: Reps. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma, Mike Johnson of Louisiana, Byron Donalds of Florida, Austin Scott of Georgia, Gary Palmer of Alabama, Jack Bergman of Michigan and Pete Sessions of Texas.
Republicans gathered on Monday for the candidate forum also behind closed doors. Rep. Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania, who had been in the running, dropped his bid.
House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul of Texas told CNN’s Manu Raju on Monday, “It’s going to be very difficult, but we have to get there,” when asked how concerned he is that no candidate can get 217 votes on the floor.
Vote to pick a speaker nominee: House Republicans are expected to meet Tuesday morning to select a new speaker nominee as pressure intensifies to find a path forward after voting to push Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan out of the race last week. The vote to pick a nominee will take place behind closed doors via secret ballot.
The candidates: EightHouse Republicans are running for the speaker position, including GOP Whip Tom Emmer, who is endorsed by Kevin McCarthy. The GOP’s narrow majority in the chamber has made it increasingly unclear whether any candidate will be able to secure the 217 floor votes needed to win the gavel.
Chamber in limbo: The House, which has been without a speaker since McCarthy was ousted earlier this month, remains effectively frozen — a dire situation as Congress faces a government funding deadline in November and as crisis unfolds abroad in Ukraine and with Israel’s war against Hamas.
Former President Donald Trump reposted attacks against House speaker candidate Rep. Tom Emmer on social media Monday evening, despite the Minnesota Republican's cordial phone call with the former president.
House Republicans are set to meet Tuesday morning to pick a new speaker nominee from a crowded field. Emmer, who serves as majority whip, is considered the front-runner in the race. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is backing Emmer, delivering an early boost to his candidacy. But Emmer, who voted to certify the 2020 election, could face an uphill battle, as some allies of former President Donald Trump have been critical of his candidacy.
Leaving a GOP conference meeting Monday night, Emmer told CNN, “We have a good relationship,” when asked about Trump.
House Republicans will meet Tuesday morning to pick a new speaker.
With multiple candidates currently in the running, members will cast a successive series of secret ballots, with the candidate who garners the fewest number of votes in each round dropped from the running.
The process will continue until there are only two candidates left or, until one candidate receives a majority of the conferences’ votes — whichever comes first.
Here, a plurality of votes is not enough. The winning candidate will need 50% +1 of the conference or a minimum of 113 votes. The conference vote is expected to take several hours as there will be several rounds of votes.
Rep. Jack Bergman of Michigan, a retired 40-year veteran of the US Marines.
Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, a second-term member of the far-right Freedom Caucus.
GOP Whip Tom Emmer, a Minnesota Republican who is endorsed by Kevin McCarthy.
Rep. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma, chair of the conservative group known as the Republican Study Committee – which wields a large bloc of GOP members.
Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana, the vice chairman for the House Republican Conference.
Rep. Gary Palmer of Alabama, the chairman of the Republican Policy Committee.
Austin Scott of Georgia, the seven-term ally of McCarthy who quickly dropped out of a last-minute challenge to Jim Jordan last week.
Rep. Pete Sessions, the longtime Texas Republican once entangled in scandal after pushing for the ouster of the US ambassador to Ukraine who was critical of Trump.
The speaker-designee will determine the next floor vote.
Winning a majority party’s nomination for speaker of the House of Representatives usually elevates a lawmaker into the pantheon of American political leaders.
But such is the toxicity of the GOP three weeks after the ouster of Speaker Kevin McCarthy that the nominee expected to emerge on Tuesday may never get the top job.
The nomination is an assignment to what may be an impossible political mission to unite a conference that might never be reconciled. And even if the nominee wins the gavel, the next speaker has a reasonable chance of a tenure even shorter than McCarthy, who lasted nine months.
But this is about more than the plight of a Republican Party that often looks like it’s tearing itself apart. If the dysfunctional House GOP majority cannot get its act together, the US government could run out of funding before Thanksgiving week – and millions of Americans could pay the price.
As lawmakers returned to Washington on Monday, there was a growing sense of rising public frustration about a House that has been paralyzed for three weeks, as global crises boil and the shutdown deadline approaches.
Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan said his constituents “think all of us are incapable.” Buchanan, who is supporting fellow Sunshine State lawmaker Byron Donalds for speaker, added: “People are very angry and upset.”
Eight hopefuls are expected to line up on Tuesday in a secret ballot as the party tries to pick a nominee, following the failures of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan to replace McCarthy. The candidates made their pitches to a meeting of the party conference on Monday night. But while one candidate is expected to emerge from secret balloting, there is no guarantee he will be able to get the required majority in the full House – given the extreme splits in the GOP between some of the far-right hardliners who helped eject McCarthy and more moderate lawmakers in battleground districts.
Because of their tiny majority, almost every Republican must back the nominee for him to become speaker – a longshot in a conference that is deeply divided. Ex-President Donald Trump has been fielding calls from top candidates seeking his endorsement but joked on Monday that only divine intervention could end the crisis.
“I said there’s only one person who can do it all the way,” Trump said in New Hampshire. “You know who that is? Jesus Christ. If Jesus came down and said, ‘I want to be speaker,’ he would do it.”
House Republicans will meet Tuesday morning to pick a new speaker nominee from a crowded field, though it remains unclear whether any candidate can lock down the 217 votes needed to ultimately win the gavel.
The vote to pick a nominee will take place behind closed doors via secret ballot. Eight Republicans are in the running after Rep. Jim Jordan was pushed out of the race following three failed floor votes. Pressure is intensifying on House Republicans three weeks after the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, which has left the House in a state of paralysis.
With multiple candidates in the running, members will cast a successive series of secret ballots and the candidate who garners the fewest number of votes in each round will be dropped from the running. The winning candidate will need a majority of the conference behind them.
Notably, however, winning a majority of the conference is a lower bar to clear than what’s needed to win the gavel on the floor. That requires a majority of the full chamber. Given the intense divisions within the conference and the GOP’s narrow majority, whoever emerges as the nominee will face tough vote math ahead.
Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota, who serves as majority whip, is considered the front-runner in the race. McCarthy is backing Emmer, delivering an early boost to his candidacy. But the Minnesota Republican, who voted to certify the 2020 election, could face an uphill battle, as some allies of former President Donald Trump have been critical of his candidacy.
Leaving a GOP conference meeting Monday night, Emmer told CNN, “We have a good relationship,” when asked about Trump.
The other candidates are: Reps. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma, Mike Johnson of Louisiana, Byron Donalds of Florida, Austin Scott of Georgia, Gary Palmer of Alabama, Jack Bergman of Michigan and Pete Sessions of Texas.
Republicans gathered on Monday for the candidate forum also behind closed doors. Rep. Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania, who had been in the running, dropped his bid.
House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul of Texas told CNN’s Manu Raju on Monday, “It’s going to be very difficult, but we have to get there,” when asked how concerned he is that no candidate can get 217 votes on the floor.
