Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., left, talks with Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., center, and Rep. David Joyce, R-Ohio, right, confer as lawmakers convene to hold a third ballot to elect a speaker of the House on Friday. J. Scott Applewhite/AP
House Republicans have chosen Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., to be their third nominee for speaker in as many weeks.
Emmer currently serves as the House GOP Whip and was the top member of the current leadership team included in this latest round of voting. He narrowly won the nomination on a secret ballot, but faces the exact same challenges as the previous two speaker candidates and ousted speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and it is unclear if the party will rally behind him.
Any candidate needs to win a vote on the House floor with the support of a majority of those voting and present to be elected speaker, or roughly 217 if all members are present.
Emmer was selected after House Republicans completely restarted the nominating processes, three weeks after a vote to oust then-Speaker McCarthy threw the chamber into disarray.
Majority Leader Steve Scalise and House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan were both named the party's nominee, but pulled their candidacies after they failed to secure enough support to succeed on the floor. Scalise withdrew before trying on the floor and Jordan failed on three ballots by the full House.
Until a speaker is elected, the House is unable to move legislation on the floor to provide aid to Israel and Ukraine or fund the government past Nov. 17.
Emmer's leadership position involves counting votes and convincing members to agree to back the party's position on legislation. He was seen as a potential frontrunner since he announced his plans to run. But he could still face resistance from conservative hardliners in the conference.
For one, he's not as closely aligned with or embraced by former President Trump as someone like Jordan was. He's one of only two candidates — Rep. Austin Scott is the other — who voted to certify the 2020 election results. He's also already in leadership, which means he brings experience to the role. But that position could also make him a target for the members who have called for a fresh face or a total leadership reset.
After the nomination vote, Republicans held a role call to gauge Emmer's support. Lawmakers told NPR that about 20 members voted against Emmer's bid.
Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., said he would "enthusiastically" support Emmer after opposing Jordan's nomination. But he said the conference remains a "fractured lot," and was not convinced that Emmer could shore up the necessary support.
"What I just saw in that room illustrates to me that there are some people that are pretty well dug in and are not going to support the the current designee," Womack said.
Womack said he expected Emmer to meet with holdouts before deciding whether to bring his bid to the floor.
Some members are looking for a way to guarantee that eventual vote would be a success.
Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., introduced a Unity Pledge on Friday, urging his colleagues to "put our differences aside and come together." The pledge states that a member will support whoever becomes the party nominee when their nomination comes to the floor.
"What we have now is a complete breakdown of what we've done for 200 years," Flood told NPR's Morning Edition. "The unity pledge simply says, we're going to support the candidate for speaker that wins the majority of the votes in our conference when we get to the floor. It's something we've done for 200 years. It's simple, but unfortunately, it's necessary."
All of the candidates have signed the pledge so far, Flood's office told NPR.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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