Rep. Emmer could become the ‘most powerful Minnesotan ever’ in federal government

Rep. Tom Emmer up for House speaker

As Jim Jordan's bid fails for House speaker, Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer, the House GOP's Whip, is among those in the running for speaker.

(FOX 9) - Following the ousting of former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, lawmakers in Washington, D.C. are stuck at an impasse.

A government shutdown is looming, and the Republican-held House of Representatives needs a speaker in order to iron out a federal budget and work through foreign aid packages as war continues overseas in Israel and Ukraine.

"We’ve never seen anything like this in American history before," Hamline University Political Science Professor David Schultz said on Sunday.

Now, Minnesota congressman and Majority Whip Tom Emmer has announced his bid for the job.

"If he would become Speaker of the House, he would be probably the most powerful Minnesotan ever in federal government," Schultz said.

The speaker of the House is second in the line of succession to the presidency. He presides over House meetings and carries influence over which bills see consideration in front of the House.