McCarthy backed Emmer as the 'right person for the job'
House Republicans meet behind closed doors to pick House speaker nominee
FOX News’ Chad Pergram on the latest from the House speaker race
Some House Republicans who voted to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., appear open to Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s candidacy for the gavel.
Emmer is one of several Republicans gunning for the speaker’s gavel after the last nominee, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, failed to secure enough votes to ascend to the top House office.
The majority whip rolled into Tuesday morning’s votes with an endorsement from McCarthy, and at least two of the members who ousted the now-former speaker are open to an Emmer candidacy.
EMMER ON TOP AFTER FIRST ROUND OF VOTING FOR GOP SPEAKER PICK
Some House Republicans who voted to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., are open to Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s candidacy for the gavel. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
A spokesperson for Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., told Fox News Digital that the congressman has not made a public endorsement of any candidate yet but is close to Emmer and voted for the whip several times on the House floor during last week’s three rounds of balloting.
Tennessee GOP Rep. Tim Burchett’s spokesperson told Fox News Digital that, while the congressman has not specifically endorsed Emmer, he would vote for any candidate that can get the 217 votes needed to get the speakership — including the whip.
A spokesperson for Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., told Fox News Digital the congressman plans to support whoever the GOP nominee ends up being.
Arizona Republican Rep. Andy Biggs' spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the congressman isn't publicly revealing who he is supporting at the moment.
Tennessee GOP Rep. Tim Burchett’s spokesperson told Fox News Digital that, while the congressman has not specifically endorsed Emmer, he would vote for any candidate that can get the 217 votes needed to get the speakership — including the whip. (Tom Williams)
The offices of GOP Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Bob Good of Virginia, and Eli Crane of Arizona did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.
Emmer is currently the front-runner in the internal contest that began voting on Tuesday morning.
The Minnesota Republican won 78 votes in the first round on Tuesday morning, with the closest second candidate — Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla. — securing just 29.
It’s likely to take several rounds of voting – a candidate must win a conference majority to be named speaker-designate under current House GOP Conference rules.
If no candidate manages to win a majority during a given round, the person with the least amount of votes is withdrawn from the race and another round is held.
MEET TOM EMMER, THE GOP MAJORITY WHIP RUNNING FOR HOUSE SPEAKER WITH MCCARTHY’S ENDORSEMENT
It's unclear whether Emmer will succeed where Jordan and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., failed — convincing the various factions within the GOP to unite around his leadership.
"He is the right person for the job. He can unite the conference," McCarthy said of Emmer. "He understands the dynamics of the conference. He also understands what it takes to win and keep a majority."
Emmer said he would use teamwork, communication and respect to build on the success Republicans had taking back the House majority in 2022 and scoring legislative wins.
"Our Conference remains at a crossroads, and the deck is stacked against us. We have no choice but to fight like hell to hold on to our House majority and deliver on our conservative agenda," Emmer told Republican members of Congress in a letter Saturday about his bid for the speaker's gavel.
Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, is out of the running for the GOP speaker's nomination after losing the first round of closed-door voting. (Bloomberg)
The election comes three weeks after McCarthy’s ouster from the top job, the first time in history the House of Representatives removed their leader in the middle of a congressional term.
Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind, Adam Shaw, and Thomas Phippen contributed reporting.
Houston Keene is a politics writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to
