HARRISBURG, Pa. — House Majority Whip Tom Emmer spends his time in Congress rounding up votes for bills.
But the Minnesota Republican has also been barnstorming the country to whip votes for his colleagues and GOP candidates.
Emmer zipped around Pennsylvania on Saturday, attending a Penn State versus Ohio State watch party for Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), a former House Freedom Caucus chair in a competitive race.
Perry, a notorious thorn in the side of House GOP leaders, acknowledged the unusual dynamic.
“We disagree on some things,” Perry said of Emmer. But Perry also called the blunt-talking Emmer an “honest broker” — an important quality to the Freedom Caucus, which has trust issues with Republican leadership.
Emmer returned the praise. “We love Scott Perry within our conference,” the Minnesota Republican said, reflecting a sentiment that is far from universal.
The campaign stop was sandwiched between get-out-the-vote events for GOP candidates Ryan Mackenzie and Rob Bresnahan, where Emmer brought his hockey coach energy and treated every speech like a locker room pep talk.
Emmer, a former NRCC chair, has hit 232 cities, spent 230 days on the road and raised $35 million this cycle.
Whip it good: Emmer and his deputy whip Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.), who was in tow for Saturday’s swing, treat their whip operation more like a “customer service” shop.
With a razor-thin majority — and the constant threat of leadership coups — arm-twisting is not always an effective strategy.
Emmer and Reschenthaler hold regular listening sessions. They know the tastes of every member, whether it be whiskey, cigars or chocolate — a personal touch that comes in handy.
Emmer acknowledged the difficulties of navigating the old bulls, firebrands and members in tough districts.
It hasn’t always been smooth sailing. Passing appropriations bills has been particularly difficult, with conservatives undermining their own leaders. Some of Emmer’s critics have accused him of not wanting to get his hands dirty on tougher votes.
Asked if he feels unfairly blamed for floor drama, Emmer told us: “The blame, I don’t care. People can say what they want… Our job is to support our speaker and our majority leader and get it done.”
Emmer refused to say whether he’ll run again for whip, insisting he’s only focused on the election.
But if Republicans lose the House, they’ll be down a leadership position. Should Speaker Mike Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise try to stay in the No. 1 and 2 spots, that could make Emmer the odd man out.
House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, the only woman in leadership, has already signaled she plans to run for her post again.
Trump transformation: After former President Donald Trump torpedoed his speakership bid last year, Emmer worked to repair their relationship.
Now the two communicate regularly, Emmer said. He flew with Trump to Wisconsin last week. Emmer, Minnesota state chair of Trump’s 2024 campaign, sent Trump some encouraging early voting numbers in the state on Saturday.
Emmer also helped Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) prepare for his vice presidential debate by playing the role of Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee and fellow Minnesotan.
On the campaign trail, Emmer’s stump speech includes jabs at “Timmy” Walz.
“My governor is a lot worse than your governor,” Emmer said Saturday. “Anybody see that debate with JD Vance? Wouldn’t you agree with me that JD Vance absolutely mopped the floor with Tim Walz?”
