44 Facts About Tom Emmer

Tom Emmer was elected to Congress in 2014, winning the 6th district seat being vacated by Michele Bachmann.

Tom Emmer chaired the National Republican Congressional Committee from 2019 to 2023.

Tom Emmer was born in South Bend, Indiana; his family later moved to Edina, Minnesota.

Tom Emmer attended St Thomas Academy, an all-male, Catholic, military, college-preparatory high school in Mendota Heights, near Saint Paul.

Tom Emmer attended Boston College and the University of Alaska Fairbanks, graduating in 1984 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science.

In 1988 Tom Emmer received a Juris Doctor from William Mitchell College of Law in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Tom Emmer began his legal career representing cities and counties through the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust and the League of Minnesota Counties Insurance Trust, handling lawsuits against police officers.

Tom Emmer represented volunteer firefighters and city and county inspectors, and handled a variety of land use issues.

Tom Emmer was licensed to practice law in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin.

Tom Emmer served on city councils in Independence, Minnesota, and then in Delano, Minnesota.

Tom Emmer served on the Finance Committee, the Health Care and Human Services Policy and Oversight Committee, and the State and Local Government Operations Reform, Technology and Elections Committee.

Tom Emmer was a member of the Finance Subcommittee for the Health Care and Human Services Finance Division, and of the Health Care and Human Services Policy and Oversight Subcommittee for the Licensing Division.

Tom Emmer officially announced his candidacy for governor of the State of Minnesota in July 2009.

In January 2010, Tom Emmer came in second to Marty Seifert in a non-binding straw poll of Republican Party caucus participants.

Tom Emmer received the endorsements of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, Governor Tim Pawlenty, and Lieutenant Governor Carol Molnau.

Tom Emmer said he viewed Target's donation as an exercise in free speech and wanted to keep his campaign focused on economic issues.

Tom Emmer was a registered lobbyist in Minnesota, and co-hosted a morning talk radio program with Bob Davis on KTLK in Minneapolis.

Tom Emmer hosted a 2011 event promoting the launch of Representative Ron Paul's presidential campaign in Minnesota.

On June 5,2013, Tom Emmer officially announced he would seek the Republican nomination for the seat.

Tom Emmer was endorsed by the Tea Party Express, Young Americans for Liberty's Liberty Action Fund, and many Minnesota legislators.

In October 2020, after it was determined that Tom Emmer had interacted with individuals who tested positive for coronavirus in Washington DC, such as Donald Trump.

Tom Emmer flew on a Delta flight in violation of the airline's rules, potentially exposing the other passengers to the virus.

Tom Emmer had previously received a $15,600 donation from Lazzaro, which Tom Emmer said he would donate to charity.

On November 15,2022, after Republicans gained the House majority, Tom Emmer was elected Majority Whip.

In 2009, Tom Emmer voted against legislation to prohibit sales of any children's product containing Bisphenol-A.

Tom Emmer, who voted against anti-bullying legislation as a state lawmaker, said that teachers are most responsible for halting bullies, but suggested that the threat of lawsuits keeps them from doing so.

Tom Emmer co-sponsored a 2022 nonbinding resolution in support of domestic oil and gas production, which did not pass.

In 2018, Tom Emmer supported two copper nickel mines in the Superior National Forest.

Tom Emmer is an outspoken proponent of cryptocurrency and digital assets.

Tom Emmer introduced the bipartisan Securities Clarity Act in an effort to establish regulatory clarity for digital assets.

In 2009, Tom Emmer sponsored a bill that would shorten the period of license revocation for driving under the influence and for refusing to take a sobriety test.

At age 20, Tom Emmer received a driving under the influence-related ticket.

On May 13,2010, Tom Emmer was one of three legislators not to vote on a bill that would have provided such tougher penalties for drunk drivers.

Tom Emmer said he missed the vote when a previously scheduled lunch ran long, and that he had "no idea" how he would have voted on the bill, but that he "assume[d]" he would have supported it.

In 2005, as a state representative, Tom Emmer introduced an amendment that would have eliminated Minnesota's minimum wage law.

Tom Emmer has supported "conscience clause" legislation that would allow pharmacists to refuse to dispense contraception on the basis of "ethical, moral or legal grounds as long as the pharmacist notifies their employer in advance and the employer can ensure a patient has timely access to the drug or device".

Tom Emmer was among 47 Republican Representatives who voted in favor of the Respect for Marriage Act, which would codify the right to same-sex marriage in federal law.

In 2019, Tom Emmer sent a fundraising letter that critics alleged included antisemitic tropes.

In 2010 Tom Emmer sponsored an amendment to the Minnesota Constitution that would allow the state to nullify federal laws.

Tom Emmer has proposed gradually reducing the state corporate tax, with the eventual goal of repealing it altogether.

In December 2020, Emmer was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated incumbent Donald Trump.

On July 5,2010, after visiting a restaurant in St Paul, Tom Emmer was asked during a press conference if he supported a tip credit, the policy of allowing businesses to subtract tips from a server's hourly wage.

One week after that press conference, Tom Emmer announced a proposal that would exempt the first $20,000 a server makes in tips from state taxes.

Tom Emmer has seven children with his wife, Jacqueline, whom he married in 1986.