House Majority Whip Tom Emmer beat back a challenge from Texas Rep. August Pfluger on Tuesday, securing a spot near the top of the Republican leadership team as the party prepares to enter the minority.
The Minnesota Republican defeated Pfluger, chairman of the Republican Study Committee, to retain the GOP whip’s post, the Washington Examiner reported.
Emmer will serve as minority whip when the new Congress convenes in January, making him the No. 2 House Republican behind newly elected GOP leader Jim Jordan.
His victory preserves a place for an experienced member of the current leadership team after Republicans’ bruising midterm losses triggered demands for changes at the top.
Pfluger challenged Emmer with a pitch centered on fresh ideas and a more aggressive effort to rebuild the conference ahead of 2028.
He argued that the whip’s operation should do more than count votes, calling for an office that anticipates problems and gives members a greater role in the party’s strategy.
Emmer leaned on his experience bringing Republicans together through difficult legislative fights and his previous tenure leading the National Republican Congressional Committee.
“The only goal of the minority is to become the majority,” Emmer wrote in a letter to colleagues obtained by Bloomberg Government.
As whip, Emmer will help coordinate Republican votes, maintain communication between members and leadership, and keep the conference united as Democrats take control of the House.
That job will put him alongside Jordan in the effort to defend President Donald Trump’s agenda and position Republicans to reclaim the majority in 2028.
Jordan defeated House Majority Leader Steve Scalise earlier Tuesday to win the conference’s top job.
Speaker Mike Johnson had opened that contest by announcing last week that he would not seek to lead House Republicans in the next Congress.
Emmer’s win gives the incoming team a combination of new leadership at the top and continuity in the whip’s office as Republicans regroup for the next two years.
