Rep. Tom Emmer WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Tom Emmer abruptly abandoned his bid to become House speaker Tuesday, withdrawing hours after winning the internal party nomination once it became clear he would not have enough support from GOP colleagues for the gavel. The House GOP whip, Emmer reversed course after Donald Trump objected to his nomination and hardliners in the…
Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) House Majority LeaderWASHINGTON (AP/CNN) — Republican Steve Scalise ended his bid to become House speaker late Thursday after hardline holdouts refused to back the party’s nominee, throwing the GOP majority into deeper chaos with the chamber unable to function. Scalise told GOP colleagues at a closed-door evening meeting of his decision and pointedly declined to announce…
WEST FARGO (KFGO/KVRR) – North Dakota’s Speaker of the House lost his bid to be re-nominated for his seat during his district’s political convention last night. Kim Koppelman fell 19 votes short of challenger Jim Jonas for the second endorsed spot in West Fargo’s District 13 Republican convention. The district’s other incumbent, Austen Schauer, retained the confidence of the district’s…
Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan will not run for re-election, people close to the Wisconsin lawmaker said Wednesday. Ryan’s plans have been the source of much speculation amid Republican concerns over keeping their majority in the House of Representatives. Ryan had made tax cuts a centerpiece of his legislative agenda, and Congress delivered on that late last year. Ryan, 48,…
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Republican legislative leaders are disappointed that the Minnesota Supreme Court upheld Gov. Mark Dayton’s line-item veto of the Legislature’s operating budget. After the ruling was posted, GOP House Speaker Kurt Daudt said of the justices, “We had hoped they would end this debacle and they did not.” Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka said he was…
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A legal battle between Gov. Dayton and top Republicans could result in a Minnesota government shut down. Attorneys for the Republican-led Legislature say lawmakers will have to start furloughing employees in December and shut down completely by February unless there’s a resolution. Dayton vetoed the Legislature’s operating budget after the session concluded in late May….
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A government watchdog group is trying to get Minnesota lawmakers their first raise since 1999, but a top political leader is trying to block it. A voter-approved council granted the $14,000 raise last fall but House Speaker Kurt Daudt said lawmakers didn’t set aside money to cover it. The Association for Government Accountability is filing…
