Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) has withdrawn from the race for Speaker of the House mere hours after being nominated as the House Republicans’ choice. This decision came after a grueling five rounds of voting within the GOP Conference, where Emmer faced off against six other potential candidates.

While Emmer managed to secure a majority within the GOP Conference during the morning’s voting, he lacked the necessary support to secure victory in a House-wide vote, as about 25 House Republicans publicly declared their unwillingness to support him in a House floor vote, even after he was named the nominee. 

With the Republicans holding a razor-thin majority, a GOP speaker-designate can only afford to lose four members from their own party without Democratic support to claim the coveted gavel.

Following the roll call, numerous GOP lawmakers expressed the need to move forward with a new nominee. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) took to the social media platform X, stating, “This morning I voted for Rep. Donalds for speaker. Followed by Rep. Johnson. Rep. Emmer does not have the votes to be speaker, and I will be unable to support him on the floor.” 

Similarly, Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) voiced his support for alternative candidates, emphasizing, “Tom Emmer has secured the nomination but no longer has a path to secure 217 votes. It’s time to get back in the room and give Kevin Hern and Mike Johnson an opportunity to get to 217!”

Even former President Donald Trump weighed in on the matter via his Truth Social account, expressing his lack of enthusiasm for Emmer’s bid for the speakership. “I have many wonderful friends wanting to be Speaker of the House, and some are truly great Warriors. RINO Tom Emmer, who I do not know well, is not one of them,” Trump wrote.

Emmer’s withdrawal marks the third change in speaker designate for House Republicans in the past few weeks since ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was removed. Two other high-profile House Republicans, Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH), have gotten close in the past; however, their inability to secure 217 Republican votes also led to the departures from the race.

In the wake of Emmer’s exit, the offices of Reps. Kevin Hern (R-OK) and Mike Johnson(R-LA) have announced their re-entry into the race, responding to calls for them to provide new leadership for the Republican Party.