Who is Tom Emmer, the Minn. Republican who tried to become speaker? A look at his political history

Tom Emmer's bid to become the first U.S. House speaker from Minnesota was short-lived.

Emmer, the third-highest ranking House Republican, won the speaker nomination Tuesday morning then dropped out of the race just a few hours later. The Republican faced stiff opposition from former President Donald Trump and his allies, who worked behind the scenes to sow doubt about Emmer's conservative bona fides. A GOP House member said more than 20 Republican lawmakers opposed Emmer, far more than needed to keep him from becoming speaker.

The Minnesotan who started his political career on the city councils of Independence and Delano would have ascended to one of the most powerful positions in American politics if elected speaker — second in the succession line for the presidency behind the vice president.

Emmer's life has been filled with highs and lows, from becoming the U.S. House Republican majority whip to losing a bitter gubernatorial election to Democrat Mark Dayton and now the chance at the speakership. He is expected to remain one of the most influential Republicans in Congress despite the blow to his ambitions.

Here's a look at Emmer's history and rise.

Emmer, 62, was born in Indiana, raised in Minnesota and attended St. Thomas Academy, a private, all-boys Catholic school. He obtained a political science bachelor's degree at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks and a J.D. from William Mitchell, now known as the Mitchell Hamline School of Law.

He practiced law, eventually opening his own firm, and was a hockey coach for a time before he was elected to the Minnesota Legislature in 2004. He and his wife, Jacquie, have been married for more than 30 years and have seven children, according to his congressional website.

Emmer received a DWI-related ticket when he was 20 years old, and a second DWI charge a decade later. He pleaded guilty to careless driving and had two drunken-driving charges dropped.

The charges were the subject of a blistering political ad during the 2010 gubernatorial election. Alliance for a Better Minnesota, an independent expenditure group that supported Dayton, ran an ad resurfacing the charges and sharing the story of a mother whose son was killed by a drunken driver.

That election year, Emmer's son was also cited for underage drinking. Emmer issued a statement saying his family was "dealing with our son in this matter with humility, seriousness and love."

Asked about his own drunken-driving history, Emmer told a Star Tribune reporter in 2010, "I made a mistake."

"I never shied away from that. I learned from the mistakes," Emmer said.

While serving in the state House of Representatives for six years, Emmer was often seen by his colleagues as a crusading leader known more for red-faced speeches than passing major bills.

By his second term in the Minnesota House, he was appointed to a powerful deputy post over veteran legislators. In a 2010 Star Tribune article, Emmer acknowledged that he enjoyed sparring with Democrats more than introducing bills.

"I enjoyed the public debate," said Emmer, who served in the Legislature from 2005-2011.

Emmer sometimes picked controversial topics: He sought chemical castration for certain pedophiles and to allow pharmacists to deny prescriptions on moral grounds, among other things.

In 2007, Emmer sponsored a bill proposing a constitutional amendment for Minnesota to recognize only marriages between men and women. And as a candidate for governor in 2010, Emmer got the backing of the National Organization for Marriage for his opposition to same-sex marriage.

Before challenging Dayton in the general election, Emmer bested fellow Republican Marty Seifert in a bitter GOP primary.

During his campaign against Dayton, Emmer faced criticism for some of his controversial stances and his DWI history. He also was widely criticized for saying that minimum-wage workers who earn tips should have their hourly pay reduced.

The gubernatorial contest came down to a razor-thin margin, with Dayton winning by half a percentage point. A recount didn't change the results.

Emmer conceded and stepped away from politics for a few years, hosting a talk radio show before eventually launching his congressional campaign.

When he returned to politics in 2014, Emmer ran for the Sixth Congressional District seat vacated by Michele Bachmann. He vowed to prioritize civility and constituent service and was elected by a resounding margin.

In his first few months in Congress, Emmer met with more than a dozen Democrats and Republicans, marched in the same civil rights parade as then-President Barack Obama and criticized his own party for holding up funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

It was a striking turnabout for a man once seen as a firebrand.

Just as he did in the state House, Emmer rose quickly through the Republican ranks. He led the U.S. House Republicans' campaign arm for two cycles, helping the GOP outperform expectations in 2020 and narrowly win the majority last November.

After the 2022 midterms, he won a tight race to become the House majority whip, the No. 3 position in the caucus.

But Emmer's relationship with Trump has been a source of controversy among both Democrats and Republicans. His Republican critics, led by Trump, ended up derailing his campaign for the speakership Tuesday.

In a Truth Social post Tuesday, Trump called Emmer a "RINO" — short for "Republican in name only" — claiming the Minnesotan "fought me all the way."

Emmer was one of the few members of Congress to openly embrace Trump's 2016 election campaign. He also supported Trump in 2020 and appeared on stage with him during some of the former president's rallies in Minnesota.

When House Democrats moved twice to impeach Trump, Emmer voted against it. Emmer also signed onto a legal attempt in late 2020 that sought to invalidate more than 60 of President Joe Biden's Electoral College votes.

After that failed, Emmer voted to certify Biden's victory. He called the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol "an unacceptable display of violence that runs counter to everything we stand for as a country."

That vote came back to haunt Emmer on Tuesday, when some of his Trump-aligned colleagues opposed his nomination for speaker.

Far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene told reporters Tuesday that she couldn't support Emmer because of his votes to certify Biden's election victory and codify federal protections for same-sex couples, among other things.

Facing significant pushback, Emmer withdrew from the race.

Staff writer Hunter Woodall contributed to this report.