One-time Republican House speaker nominee Tom Emmer (R-MN) officially ended his bid for the gavel, in part in response to criticisms by far-right GOPers over his support for gay marriage and other positions.
Emmer ended his bid on Tuesday after Donald Trump encouraged all of his supporters in Congress to block his nomination. Emmer had previously defeated Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA). Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) dropped out before the final round.
Those who opposed Emmer included some Republican lawmakers who thought Emmer's support of gay marriage went too far.
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Punch Bowl News reported on Tuesday:
"Rep. Rick Allen, Georgia Republican, told Tom Emmer in close House GOP conference meeting that the Minnesota Republican didn't need to get right with him, he needed to 'get right with Jesus' because Emmer supported gay marriage," the outlet wrote.
Marjorie Taylor Greene was another such voice.
"Today I voted against Tom Emmer on all rounds of voting including the spoken roll call vote because he has a voting record I can’t support. He voted for Democrat gay marriage bill, voted with Democrats to overturn President Trump’s transgender military ban, voted for every penny of Ukraine funding, at one time supported the Soros national popular vote scheme, and voted to certify Biden’s 2020 election," Greene wrote Tuesday. "We need a Republican Speaker that reflects the values of Republican voters that can lead our conference."
