Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Tom Emmer

Discover the career path of Tom Emmer, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Tom Emmer is an American attorney, lobbyist, and politician currently serving as the Majority Whip in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2023. A Republican, he has represented Minnesota's 6th congressional district since 2015. Emmer is recognized for his strong support of the cryptocurrency industry during his time in Congress.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Controversies & Scandals

November 2004: Elected to Minnesota House District 19B

In November 2004, Tom Emmer was elected to Minnesota's House District 19B, defeating Lori M. Schmidt.

2005: Elected to Minnesota House of Representatives

In 2005, Tom Emmer became a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives.

2005: Introduced Amendment to Eliminate Minimum Wage

In 2005, while serving as a state representative, Tom Emmer introduced an amendment that aimed to eliminate Minnesota's minimum wage law.

2006: Reelected to second term

In 2006, Tom Emmer won reelection to a second term in the Minnesota House with 61% of the vote.

2007: Introduced Amendment Banning Same-Sex Marriage

In 2007, Tom Emmer introduced HF 1847, an amendment to the Minnesota Constitution defining marriage as solely between one man and one woman.

2008: Reelected to third term

In 2008, Tom Emmer was reelected to a third term in the Minnesota House with 61% of the vote.

July 2009: Announced candidacy for governor of Minnesota

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

2009: Sponsored DUI Bill

In 2009, Tom Emmer sponsored a bill that proposed shortening the license revocation period for driving under the influence and refusing field sobriety tests, delaying revocations until after conviction. This bill was opposed by Mothers Against Drunk Driving due to concerns it would allow arrested drivers to continue driving during the time between their arrest and hearing.

January 2010: Second in Republican Party caucus poll

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

April 2010: Announced Annette Meeks as running mate

In April 2010, Tom Emmer announced that his running mate would be Metropolitan Council member Annette Meeks.

April 30, 2010: Endorsed as Republican candidate for governor

On April 30, 2010, the Republican Party of Minnesota officially endorsed Tom Emmer as its candidate for governor at the state convention in Minneapolis.

May 13, 2010: Missed Vote on Tougher DUI Penalties

On May 13, 2010, Tom Emmer missed a vote on a bill proposing tougher penalties for drunk drivers due to a lunch running long. He stated he was unsure how he would have voted but assumed he would have supported it.

July 5, 2010: Supported Tip Credit Policy

On July 5, 2010, Tom Emmer stated that he supported a tip credit policy (allowing businesses to subtract tips from servers' hourly wages) if there was no minimum wage law. He suggested servers could earn significant income while restaurant owners might earn less.

August 10, 2010: Won Republican primary for governor

On August 10, 2010, Tom Emmer won the Republican primary for governor with 82% of the vote.

December 8, 2010: Conceded the gubernatorial election

On December 8, 2010, Tom Emmer conceded the Minnesota gubernatorial election after a recount made little difference.

2010: Chose to run for governor of Minnesota

In 2010, Tom Emmer chose to run for governor of Minnesota rather than seeking reelection to the Minnesota House.

2010: Lost gubernatorial election

In 2010, Tom Emmer lost the Minnesota gubernatorial election to Mark Dayton.

2010: Sponsored Amendment to Nullify Federal Laws

In 2010, Tom Emmer sponsored an amendment to the Minnesota Constitution allowing the state to nullify federal laws.

2011: Hosted event promoting Ron Paul's presidential campaign

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

2011: End of term in the Minnesota House of Representatives

In 2011, Tom Emmer's service in the Minnesota House of Representatives came to an end.

2011: Lost election for Republican National Committee seat

In early 2011, Tom Emmer ran for an open Minnesota seat on the Republican National Committee, but lost to Jeff Johnson.

2012: Voters Rejected Amendment 1

In 2012, voters rejected Minnesota Amendment 1, which Tom Emmer supported, that would have banned civil recognition of same-sex marriage or its legal equivalent.

May 2013: Considered as a possible candidate for the Sixth Congressional District seat

Upon the surprise retirement of U.S. representative Michele Bachmann, announced in May 2013, Tom Emmer was considered a possible candidate for the Sixth Congressional District seat

June 5, 2013: Announced candidacy for the Sixth Congressional District seat

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

February 4, 2014: Received 67.9% of the vote in a 6th district straw poll

On February 4, 2014, Tom Emmer received 67.9% of the vote in a 6th district straw poll.

2014: Elected to Congress

In 2014, Tom Emmer was elected to Congress, representing the 6th district, succeeding Michele Bachmann.

June 2015: Formation of Congressional Somalia Caucus

In June 2015, Tom Emmer and Representative Keith Ellison announced the formation of the bipartisan Congressional Somalia Caucus.

2015: Representing Minnesota's 6th congressional district

Since 2015, Tom Emmer has represented Minnesota's 6th congressional district as a member of the Republican Party.

2016: Defeated David Snyder in election

In 2016, Tom Emmer defeated Democratic nominee David Snyder, 66% to 34%.

March 2017: Supported American Health Care Act

In March 2017, Tom Emmer supported the version of the American Health Care Act that aimed to repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).

May 4, 2017: Voted for American Health Care Act

On May 4, 2017, Tom Emmer voted for the American Health Care Act, a bill intended to repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). This vote occurred before the Congressional Budget Office assessed the bill's economic impact.

2017: Supported Trump's Immigration Order

In 2017, Tom Emmer supported President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily restricting immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries. He stated it utilized a list of dangerous countries identified by the Obama administration.

2017: Supported the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

In 2017, Tom Emmer supported the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and in 2025, as House majority whip, managed Republican votes to make the tax rates permanent as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

2018: Defeated Ian Todd in election

In 2018, Tom Emmer defeated Democratic nominee Ian Todd, 61% to 39%.

2018: Requested including copper and nickel as critical minerals

In 2018, Tom Emmer requested that the Department of Interior include copper and nickel as critical minerals essential to national security.

2018: Supported copper nickel mines

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

May 15, 2019: Twin Metals Lease Approval

On May 15, 2019, Tom Emmer and Representative Pete Stauber stood with Assistant Secretary Joseph Balash as he signed leases allowing Twin Metals to explore national forest land near Ely for copper-nickel reserves. This reversed the Obama administration's স্থগিত environmental review and granted Twin Metals a 10-year lease to explore the area for potential mining.

2019: Copper nickel mines planned

As of 2019, two copper nickel mines in the Superior National Forest were planned by Polymet and Twin Metals.

2019: Chaired National Republican Congressional Committee

In 2019, Tom Emmer became the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee.

2019: Bipartisan Index Score

In 2019, Tom Emmer held a Bipartisan Index Score of -0.0 in the 116th United States Congress.

2020: Defeated Tawnja Zahradka in election

In 2020, Tom Emmer defeated Democratic nominee Tawnja Zahradka 66% to 34%.

2020: Doubts on 2020 U.S. presidential election results

In 2020, Tom Emmer initially cast doubt on the 2020 U.S. presidential election results, citing "questionable" practices, but later voted to certify the Electoral College vote count.

2021: Improved League of Conservation Voters score

In 2021, recent votes improved Tom Emmer's League of Conservation Voters score to 21%, compared to the U.S. House average of 57%.

October 2022: Posted Controversial Twitter Video

In October 2022, Tom Emmer faced criticism for posting a video on Twitter showing him firing a fully automatic machine gun, accompanied by the caption "#FIREPELOSI". This occurred shortly before the attack on Nancy Pelosi's husband. He was leading efforts as chair of the NRCC to replace Nancy Pelosi as House speaker.

November 15, 2022: Elected Majority Whip

On November 15, 2022, Tom Emmer was elected Majority Whip.

2022: Won contested election for majority whip

After Republicans gained a narrow majority in the 2022 U.S. House of Representatives elections, Tom Emmer won a contested election for majority whip.

2022: Co-sponsored a nonbinding resolution in support of domestic oil and gas production

In 2022, Tom Emmer co-sponsored a nonbinding resolution in support of domestic oil and gas production.

2022: Defeated Jeanne Hendricks in election

In 2022, Tom Emmer defeated Democratic nominee Jeanne Hendricks, 62% to 37%.

2022: Crypto Industry Funding

In the 2022 election cycle, Tom Emmer raised the second-most funds from the cryptocurrency industry of all members of Congress.

June 2023: Cosponsored SEC Stabilization Act

In June 2023, Tom Emmer cosponsored the SEC Stabilization Act, intended to remove Gary Gensler from his position as chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This legislative action followed the SEC's lawsuits against Coinbase and Binance, alleging they failed to register as required.

October 2023: Withdrawal from Speaker of the House election

In October 2023, Tom Emmer withdrew from the Speaker of the House election after facing opposition from Donald Trump.

October 20, 2023: Reported to consider bid for Speaker of the House

On October 20, 2023, it was reported that Tom Emmer was considering a bid for Speaker of the House.

November 8, 2023: Voted to Prohibit Funding for VP Harris's Office

On November 8, 2023, Tom Emmer joined 100 other Republicans in voting for an amendment to a large appropriations bill that would prohibit funding for the Office of Vice President Kamala Harris.

November 2023: Voted to Eliminate CFPB Funding

In November 2023, Tom Emmer voted in favor of an amendment to a funding bill that aimed to eliminate funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

2023: Became House Majority Whip

In 2023, Tom Emmer became the majority whip in the United States House of Representatives.

2023: Supported aid to Israel

In 2023, Tom Emmer voted to provide Israel with support following the Hamas attack on Israel.

2023: Crypto Advocacy

In 2023, Tom Emmer was recognized by Politico as a leading advocate for cryptocurrency on Capitol Hill, having championed the industry for years. He has consistently opposed federal regulation of the crypto industry.

2023: End of term as chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee

In 2023, Tom Emmer's term as chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee concluded.

2024: Endorsed Donald Trump

In 2024, after endorsing Donald Trump for president, Tom Emmer suggested that a second Trump administration would be more favorable to the cryptocurrency industry.

July 7, 2025: Signed Letter Regarding Canadian Wildfire Smoke

On July 7, 2025, Tom Emmer was one of six Republican members of Congress who signed a letter to the Canadian ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman expressing concern that smoke from Canadian wildfires was inconveniencing his state's residents.

2025: Managed Votes for One Big Beautiful Bill Act

As House majority whip, Tom Emmer managed Republican votes for the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The law made the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act's tax rates permanent, which the Tax Policy Center said gave richer households larger benefits.