Republicans nominate pro-Ukraine candidate as new US House speaker

Tom Emmer won the majority of votes in the internal Republican race but does not yet have enough GOP support to be elected as a Speaker of the US House of Representatives. The post Republicans nominate pro-Ukraine candidate as new US House speaker appeared first on Euromaidan Press.

Oct 24, 2023 - 21:21

Republicans nominate pro-Ukraine candidate as new US House speaker

On 24 October, Republican congressmen voted for their nominee for Speaker of the US House of Representatives, the Washington Post reported.

The majority of the GOP faction (the Republican Party) in the US House of Representatives voted for Republican Tom Emmer as the Speaker nominee on a fifth ballot in the internal race in a closed-door meeting of Republicans. Tom Emmer will be the third candidate to try to win over broad GOP support in a vote before the full House.

The first candidate was Republican Steve Scalise, the Majority Leader of the US House of Representatives. After Scalise withdrew his candidacy before the vote in the House of Representatives, the next Republican candidate was Jim Jordan. Jordan was not able to obtain a majority vote of the full House and failed to be elected as a Speaker three times.

A total of nine candidates took part in the Republican voting. Tom Emmer from Minnesota was consistently leading during all rounds of voting. In the last round, Tom Emmer beat Republican Mike Johnson from Louisiana: 117 Republicans voted for Emmer, while 97 Republicans voted for Johnson.

Tom Emmer, 62, does not yet have enough GOP support to be elected as a Speaker of the US House of Representatives on the House floor. To become a Speaker, Emmer needs most of the US House of Representatives votes (217 votes). Republicans have 221 seats in the House of Representatives.

Before being elected to Congress in 2015, Emmer headed the National Republican Congressional Committee, which helps congressmen in their election campaigns. Emmer was one of the Republicans who voted to approve the results of the 2020 presidential election, according to which former US President Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden.

Former president Donald Trump took direct aim at Emmer in a social media post today. Donald Trump said that Emmer is “totally out-of-touch with Republican Voters.”

“He [Tom Emmer – ed.] never respected the power of a Trump endorsement or the breadth and scope of MAGA – Make America Great Again! he fought me all the way,” Donald Trump wrote in a social media post after Tom Emmer became the new Speaker of the House nominee. “I believe he has now learned his lesson because he is saying he is pro-Trump all the way, but who can ever be sure? Has he only changed because that’s what it takes to win? The Republican Party cannot take that chance because that’s not where America First Voters are,” Trump added.

Emmer is considered a mainstream Republican who believes that the Republican Party should continue to support Ukraine. Republicans are divided on helping Ukraine defend itself against Russian invasion. Most Republicans in the US Congress, including Tom Emmer, have repeatedly voted to support Ukraine.

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The post Republicans nominate pro-Ukraine candidate as new US House speaker appeared first on Euromaidan Press.