House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) endorsed Donald Trump in the 2024 election on Wednesday, backing the former president who opposed his run for speaker last year and solidifying Trump’s support among GOP leadership in the House.
“Democrats have made clear they will use every tool in their arsenal to try and keep [President] Joe Biden and his failed policies in power. We cannot let them,” Emmer said in a statement. “It’s time for Republicans to unite behind our party’s clear frontrunner, which is why I am proud to endorse Donald J. Trump for President.”
A member of the House since 2015, Emmer quickly worked his way up the ranks. As the majority whip, Emmer is tasked with rallying votes for the GOP’s legislative priorities. Emmer announced his pick one day after House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), the second-ranked Republican in the House, endorsed Trump. Other House leaders who have backed Trump include House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY).
Emmer competed for the speakership in the fall of last year and won the GOP nomination after Scalise and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) failed to secure victory in their respective bids. But Emmer quickly bowed out after Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social to call Emmer a “RINO” — or Republican in name only — and encouraged members not to vote for him. Roughly two dozen Republicans refused to support Emmer, with some questioning his conservative bonafides.
Trump is running for a second presidential term, potentially setting up a 2020 general election rematch against President Joe Biden, as he faces a slew of criminal cases and ballot access issues. National polls show Trump as the clear frontrunner in a wide but shrinking GOP field.
In a separate release on Wednesday, the Minnesota Republican congressional delegation announced an endorsement for Trump, citing “double digit inflation, higher taxes, and a border crisis that has turned every community into a border community” as issues residents of their state are grappling with under the Biden administration. The group included Emmer and Reps. Brad Finstad (R-MN), Michelle Fischbach (R-MN), and Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN).
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With their backing, Trump has accrued close to 100 endorsements in the GOP-led House, putting him well ahead of his remaining Republican rivals less than two weeks before the Iowa caucuses.
Other major GOP candidates still in the race for the presidential nomination include Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Governor and United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson.
