Background and career
Thomas Earl Emmer Jr. (born March 3, 1961) is an American attorney, lobbyist, and politician who has served as majority whip in the United States House of Representatives since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he has represented Minnesota's 6th congressional district since 2015. During his tenure in Congress, he has been known as a strong advocate for the crypto industry. Before his election to Congress, Emmer served three terms as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2005 to 2011. He lost the 2010 Minnesota gubernatorial election to Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party nominee Mark Dayton by less than half a percentage point. Emmer was elected to Congress in 2014, winning the 6th district seat being vacated by Michele Bachmann. He has been reelected five times. The district includes the far western and northern suburbs of Minneapolis in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, most of the St. Cloud metropolitan area, and a large part of rural Central Minnesota, generally an agricultural region. Emmer chaired the National Republican Congressional Committee from 2019 to 2023. After Republicans gained a narrow-than-expected majority in the 2022 U.S. House of Representatives elections, he won a contested election for majority whip, 115–106. Emmer initially cast doubt on the 2020 U.S. presidential election results, saying that certain states used "questionable" practices in administering the vote. After signing an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit seeking to contest the outcome in key swing states, Emmer ultimately voted to certify the Electoral College vote count. Emmer was the House Republican Conference's third nominee for the October 2023 Speaker of the House election, after Steve Scalise withdrew and Jim Jordan failed to garner the votes needed in the first three ballots. He withdrew himself from the race shortly after former president Donald Trump voiced his opposition, calling him "totally out-of-touch with Republican Voters" and a "Globalist RINO".
Emmer was born in South Bend, Indiana. His family later moved to Edina, Minnesota. He attended St. Thomas Academy, an all-male, Catholic, military, college-preparatory high school in Mendota Heights, near Saint Paul. Emmer attended Boston College and the University of Alaska Fairbanks, graduating from the latter in 1984 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science. He played hockey for both schools. In 1988, Emmer received a Juris Doctor from William Mitchell College of Law in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
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. He also represented volunteer firefighters and city and county inspectors, and handled a variety of land use issues. He was licensed to practice law in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. Emmer served on city councils in Independence, Minnesota, and then in Delano, Minnesota.
In 2004, incumbent Republican state representative Dick Borrell of Minnesota's House District 19B decided to retire. District 19B included portions of Wright and Hennepin Counties and the cities of Otsego, Albertville, St. Michael, Rockford, Delano, Montrose, and Waverly. Emmer, the Republican candidate, defeated Democrat Lori M. Schmidt, an attorney, 60%–40%, in the November 2004 general election. In 2006, Emmer won reelection to a second term with 61% of the vote. In 2008, he was reelected to a third term with 61% of the vote. In 2010, he chose to run for governor of Minnesota rather than seek reelection. During legislative sessions, Emmer regularly rode the bus to the Minnesota State Capitol. 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. He was also 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.
Emmer officially announced his candidacy for governor of the State of Minnesota in July 2009. In January 2010, Emmer came in second to Marty Seifert in a non-binding straw poll of Republican Party caucus participants. In April 2010, Emmer announced that his running mate would be Metropolitan Council member Annette Meeks. Emmer received the endorsements of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, Governor Tim Pawlenty, and Lieutenant Governor Carol Molnau. On April 30, 2010, the Republican Party of Minnesota officially endorsed Emmer as its candidate for governor at the state convention in Minneapolis. His main opponent, Marty Seifert, withdrew from the race and endorsed Emmer when it became apparent that Emmer was nearing the threshold for party endorsement. On August 10, 2010, Emmer won the Republican primary with 82% of the vote, a 75-point margin over Bob Carney. The race attracted national attention as the "first case in this election cycle of a company hit by national protests over a campaign donation". Minnesota-based Target Corporation donated $150,000 to Minnesota Forward, a new political action committee paying for advertising that supported Emmer's gubernatorial election. Emmer said he viewed Target's donation as an exercise in free speech and wanted to keep his campaign focused on economic issues. Best Buy also donated $100,000 to Minnesota Forward. The general election was contested by Emmer, former U.S. senator Mark Dayton (DFL), and Independence Party candidate Tom Horner. Emmer trailed Dayton by 9,000 votes in the general election results, a margin small enough to trigger an automatic recount. Most analysts felt it was unlikely that the Emmer campaign could overcome such a deficit in a recount. After the recount made little difference, Emmer conceded the election on December 8, 2010.
Emmer was a registered lobbyist in Minnesota, and co-hosted a morning talk radio program with Bob Davis on KTLK in Minneapolis. In early 2011, he ran for an open Minnesota seat on the Republican National Committee, but lost that election to Hennepin County commissioner Jeff Johnson. Emmer hosted a 2011 event promoting the launch of Representative Ron Paul's presidential campaign in Minnesota. In June 2015, Emmer and Representative Keith Ellison announced the formation of the bipartisan Congressional Somalia Caucus. The caucus was created to focus on U.S. policy toward Somalia, including issues related to political stability, governance, economic development, and national security. The caucus was intended to address Somalia's ongoing recovery from decades of conflict while also reflecting the domestic importance of U.S.–Somalia relations to Somali-American communities in Minnesota. Emmer and Ellison said the caucus would support efforts to strengthen democratic institutions, improve economic conditions, and counter extremist groups such as al-Shabaab, with the broader goal of promoting long-term stability and cooperation between the U.S. and Somalia.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
