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- Rep. Tom Emmer is widely seen as the frontrunner for the GOP nomination for speaker of the House.
- But some in Trump's orbit don't like him, and he's got bad blood with Tucker Carlson.
- Yet Carlson told Insider that he's not planning to get involved.
House Republicans are gearing up for round three of their quest to replace Kevin McCarthy, and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer is widely seen as the current frontrunner among the nine candidates in the race.
But the Minnesota Republican has some foes among the Trump-aligned right, and one of their grievances has to do with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
But in a text message to Insider, Carlson indicated that he's staying out of it.
"Nope. No plans to get involved," said Carlson. "The country's got bigger problems than a leadership fight on the Hill."
The bad blood between Emmer and Carlson is somewhat convoluted.
In a story last year about the competition between Emmer and Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana to be the next House GOP whip, the Daily Beast quoted a "GOP strategist" as saying that Banks hired Carlson's young son, Buckley, because "deep down, he dies to be liked by the Establishment."
Carlson — and other Trump allies — assumed that the quote came from someone in Emmer's orbit, and the former Fox News host demanded during an "irate" phone call with the Minnesota Republican that he reveal that person's identity, according to Axios. Emmer has denied any involvement.
—Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) October 21, 2022
While Carlson is apparently staying out of this himself, that doesn't mean everyone in Trump's orbit has been assuaged.
People close to the former president have told multiple outlets that Trump is opposed to Emmer's bid, citing the fact that Emmer has not yet endorsed Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and the perception that he's not "MAGA" enough. Though Trump's endorsement wasn't enough to win Rep. Jim Jordan the speakership, any forceful pushback from Trump could spell big trouble for Emmer.
But Carlson's apparent decision may mean one less headache for Emmer. Though no longer a Fox News host, Carlson still has currency with the party's grassroots, and regularly releases TV-length interviews on X, formerly known as Twitter.
As a current member of party leadership and the chairman of House Republicans' campaign arm in 2020 and 2022, Emmer is otherwise well-positioned for the job, having built relationships with both Republicans in competitive districts and members of the House Freedom Caucus. He has also been endorsed by McCarthy.
During closed-door conference meetings this week, Emmer will be competing with eight other candidates, including Reps. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma, Mike Johnson of Louisiana, and Byron Donalds of Florida.
This latest iteration of the House GOP's speaker race comes after Jordan failed to claim the gavel last week, bleeding support from his own party with each successive vote.
On Friday, House Republicans voted to remove Jordan after he put up the worst showing for the majority party's speaker nominee since before the Civil War.