GOP Rep. Tom Emmer voted for a gay marriage bill in 2022. It may have cost him his bid for speaker.

Wed, 10/25/2023 - 11:35

Tom Emmer Elise Stefanik — House Majority Whip Tom Emmer reacts as Rep. Elise Stefanik tallies votes as the House of Representatives votes for a third time on whether to elevate Rep. Jim Jordan to Speaker of the House in the US Capitol on October 20, 2023 in Washington, DC.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

On Tuesday, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer dropped out of the speaker race.
Two representatives publicly said they wouldn't vote for him given his vote on gay marriage.
In 2022, Emmer was one of 39 Republicans to support the Respect for Marriage Act.

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer started Tuesday as the leading Republican candidate to become the next speaker. He dropped out of the race before the day even ended, with two GOP members saying he wasn't fit for the job due to his previous support for a federal gay marriage bill.