U.S. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer went from becoming the GOP's nominee for House speaker to dropping out of the race in a matter of hours. Here's a timeline — in Central Time — of how news of Emmer's chaotic day went.
Timeline: Rep. Tom Emmer exits House speaker race shortly after nomination
Here is a timeline of how Minnesota U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer's day went, from winning the GOP nomination for House speaker to dropping out of the race hours later.
October 24, 2023 at 11:36PM
8:48 a.m. - Ballot voting begins for a new speaker nominee. Rep. Elise Stefanik announces the start on X and lists the seven candidates' names on the first ballot. Along with Emmer, these include: Jack Bergman of Michigan; Byron Donalds of Florida; Kevin Hern of Oklahoma; Austin Scott of Georgia, Pete Sessions of Texas and Mike Johnson of Louisiana.
10:49 a.m. - Johnson and Emmer are left as the two remaining candidates on the ballot, Stefanik posts on X. After each round of voting, Stefanik posted an updated list of remaining candidates on the ballot.
11:15 a.m. - Emmer is chosen around this time as the party's speaker nominee, following five rounds of voting. Stefanik congratulates Emmer in a post.
1:11 p.m. - Donald Trump writes he opposes Emmer becoming speaker in a post on his Truth Social platform, charging that the Minnesotan is a "RINO," the acronym for "Republican in name only."
"He is totally out-of-touch with Republican Voters," the former president said in the post. "I believe he has now learned his lesson, because he is saying that he is Pro-Trump all the way, but who can ever be sure?"
2:07 p.m. - Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene posts on X that she voted against Emmer, saying he "has a voting record I can't support."
"We need a Republican Speaker that reflects the values of Republican voters that can lead our conference," Greene wrote.
3:25 p.m. - Emmer quickly leaves a Capitol Hill building roughly around this time and does not stop to talk to members of the media.
3:30 p.m. - A source familiar with Emmer's decision confirms he has dropped out of the speaker's race, the Star Tribune's Hunter Woodall reports. Emmer's tenure as speaker nominee lasted about four hours.
Staff writer Hunter Woodall contributed to this report.
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