The race for House GOP whip — the third-most-powerful spot in the House Republican caucus — is the most consequential of the House GOP’s genuinely contested leadership races. (While their leadership claims are shakier than they were a week ago, Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise are still regarded as the heavy frontrunners for the top and second-to-top spots.) In a piece yesterday, I laid out the case for why National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) chairman Tom Emmer (R., Minn.), one of the main contenders for the position, does not deserve the support of his fellow House Republicans — not just because he failed decisively in his position as the head of the House GOP’s campaign arm, but because he’s highly unreliable on a number of important issues that matter to conservatives, particularly as it pertains to cultural debates.
The candidates’ forum for today’s leadership vote was held yesterday, giving us a glimpse into what his philosophy would be as House GOP whip:
Rep. Tom Emmer asked about the gay marriage vote by Rep Chip Roy, per source in room.
Emmer replied: “These divisive social issues shouldn’t be brought to the House floor.”
— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) November 14, 2022
This does not assuage my concerns about the Minnesota congressman. It would be one thing if the “divisive social issues” that Emmer was referencing were confined to the question of gay marriage. But Emmer didn’t just vote for the same-sex-marriage bill — he was one of nine House Republicans to join Democrats in voting to block the Trump administration’s transgender military ban, and has voted on four different occasions for gender-identity mandates that, in the words of Heritage Action, “would have required federal contractors to grant biologically male employees who identify as women unfettered access to women’s lockers, showers, and bathrooms.” His tenure as a GOP caucus leader would be a major step backward for social conservatives, and for the cause of common sense.