GOP House Majority Whip Tom Emmer moves ahead of Democrat Jeanne Hendricks

With about a third of the vote tallied Tuesday night, Rep. Tom Emmer, the No. 3 Republican in the U.S. House, held a significant lead over Democrat Jeanne Hendricks.

The House majority whip called into the Minnesota Republican Party election night watch party from Mar-a-Lago in Florida, where he was posted with former President Donald Trump to watch the returns.

“Keep in mind, you are going to flip the Minnesota House of Representatives,” said Emmer, to wild applause. He predicted victories for incumbent GOP Reps. Pete Stauber, Michelle Fishbach, Brad Finstad and challenger Joe Teirab.

“We know that Trump is winning,” Emmer said, predicting that early returns in Minnesota were hitting “all kinds of numbers above what expectations were.”

Emmer had a significant fundraising advantage over Hendricks heading into his battle for a sixth term. He raised more than $8 million compared to Hendricks, who raised less than six figures.

In 2022, Hendricks, a nurse anesthetist, lost to Emmer by more than 24 percentage points.

Emmer became House majority whip shortly after the 2022 midterms and ran for speaker the following year after Kevin McCarthy was ousted from the speaker’s post.

But Emmer’s ascension in the House was halted largely by former President Donald Trump, who along with his allies had a hand in sinking Emmer’s chances. Their relationship since appears to have come full circle, with Emmer becoming one of Trump’s chief defenders.