Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota was reelected Republican whip Tuesday, fending off a challenge for the leadership position after Democrats won control of the U.S. House in last week’s midterms.
Rep. August Pfluger of Texas, chairman of the Republican Study Committee, ran against Emmer for the No. 2 position in House Republican leadership as the party prepares to enter the minority in January.
The two Republicans laid out competing visions for the conference in “Dear Colleague” letters circulated last week.
“There is no sugarcoating the failure we just experienced,” Emmer wrote in his Nov. 4 letter. “This was undoubtedly a difficult election, with plenty of political headwinds, but there are no excuses.”
“We are down, but we are not out,” he added.
Emmer pointed to his tenure leading the National Republican Congressional Committee, saying Republicans were expected to lose as many as 24 seats in 2020 but instead gained 15.
“We fought tooth and nail, and gained a historic 15 seats, nearly flipping the House in a presidential year,” Emmer wrote. “In 2022, we finished the job.”
Emmer said Republicans must now focus on regaining the majority while maintaining unity within the conference.
“The only goal of the minority is to become the majority,” he wrote. “Our Whip Team is proven and built to achieve that goal.”
Pfluger, meanwhile, framed his candidacy as an opportunity to change how House Republicans operate.
“I believe the 119th Congress had far greater potential, and we left a lot on the field,” Pfluger wrote in a Nov. 5 letter.
“If we simply chalk up the results to ‘outside of our control’ and return to doing business as usual, we’ll miss an enormous opportunity to enact the changes we need to win again,” he said.
Emmer defeated Pfluger in a 103-76 vote Tuesday, according to Politico. The election was conducted by secret ballot among Republican members. Rep. Jim Jordan was elected minority leader.
Emmer currently serves as House majority whip, a position he has held since the beginning of the 118th Congress.
“Today is not a day for celebrating,” Emmer said after the election. “We lost last Tuesday and I take it personally, as do my colleagues. I fought for these seats as the NRCC chair and worked like hell to keep them as the majority whip. We’re gonna do it again.”
Symone Harms
Symone Harms is a Media Production and Business Marketing student at Bethel University. She is actively involved in The Royals Investment Fund, The 25, theatre, and other leadership positions. She also cohosts Rooted, a podcast dedicated to being rooted in truth, growing in freedom, and prospering in life. A Minnesota native with a passion for storytelling and digital media, she aspires to a career in broadcasting as a news anchor and reporter.
