House GOP campaign chair launches bid for whip leadership post

Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, is shifting his bid for a whip leadership post into high gear with a slide deck packet pitch and a list of 38 endorsements from current and incoming members.

“You run to win, and you win to govern. With your help and support, we made history and retook the majority,” said the packet sent out to members.

It promises to “incorporate a culture of teamwork, communication, and respect that will once again be the driving force behind an operation focused on one thing: winning.”

The public endorsements range from Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), a former chairman of the confrontational conservative House Freedom Caucus, to Rep. David Joyce (R-Ohio), the chairman of the moderate Republican Governance Group, formerly known as the Tuesday Group.

Emmer’s whip race packet also promises to include members from “every political corner of our Conference” to be part of his deputy whip team, including “freshman and more experienced members.”

Emmer has long been known to be interested in the whip role, but officially announced his bid on Wednesday after the midterm elections, as he did not want to be seen to be focusing on his leadership bid rather than taking control of the House majority as head of the House GOP’s campaign arm.

He faces two competitors: current Chief Deputy Whip Drew Ferguson (R-Ga.) and Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), the chairman of the Republican Study Committee, the largest conservative caucus in the House.

Banks also officially rolled out his whip bid on Wednesday, saying in a letter that he wants to be the majority whip “for our entire conference,” and put a focus on maintaining “relationships with the coalitions who’ve helped us and the voters who elected us.” It also noted that he would be the only veteran in leadership if elected.

Concerned Women for America, a right-wing Christian group, endorsed Banks’s whip bid on Monday. Penny Young Nance, CEO and president of Concerned Women for America, told The Hill that endorsing Banks was a “no brainer,” praising a roundtable he held this year with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on keeping transgender athletes out of women’s sports.

“He is a conservative stalwart. He’s led on key issues for us all along,” Nance said.

One potential challenge for Emmer is that Republicans are on track to win a much narrower House majority than they expected. While no outlets tracking elections have yet called the House in favor of Republicans, the GOP expects to win control of the lower chamber. More than two dozen House race have yet to be called.

In a press briefing on Wednesday, Emmer brushed off the prospect of a slim majority affecting his level of support for whip.

The full list of endorsements for Emmer: 

Reps. Gary Palmer (Ala.), French Hill (Ark.), Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Ken Calvert (Calif.), Ken Buck (Colo.), Carlos Gimenez (Fla.), Randy Feenstra (Iowa), Bill Huizenga (Mich.), Brad Finstad (Minn.), Michelle Fischbach (Minn.), Pete Stauber (Minn.), Blaine Luetkemeyer (Mo.), Don Bacon (Neb.), Mike Flood (Neb.), Mark Amodei (Nev.), Andrew Garbarino (N.Y.), Patrick McHenry (N.C.), David Joyce (Ohio), Bob Latta (Ohio), Mike Turner (Ohio), Stephanie Bice (Okla.), Tom Cole (Okla.), Frank Lucas (Okla.), Dan Meuser (Pa.), Guy Reschenthaler (Pa.), Glenn Thompson (Pa.), Michael Burgess (Texas), Dan Newhouse (Wash.) and Bryan Steil (Wis.).

It also lists endorsements from American Samoa Del. Amata Coleman Radewagen and GOP Reps.-elect Ryan Zinke (Mont.), Tom Kean Jr. (N.J.), Anthony D’Esposito (N.Y.), Mike Lawler (N.Y.), Marcus Molinaro (N.Y.), George Santos (N.Y.), Monica De La Cruz (Texas) and Derrick Van Orden (Wis.).