History of Tom Emmer in Timeline
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.
2 hours ago : Tom Emmer, Minnesota Immigration, Operation Metro Surge: Praise and Fears in Twin Cities
Tom Homan praised Walz and Frey on immigration talks. Operation Metro Surge ending caused fear among Twin Cities immigrants. The future of ICE in Minnesota was discussed.
1910: Great-Grandfather Founded Lumber Company
In 1910, Tom Emmer's great-grandfather and his two brothers founded Emmer Brothers Lumber, now known as Viking Forest Products.
March 3, 1961: Thomas Earl Emmer Jr. Born
On March 3, 1961, Thomas Earl Emmer Jr. was born. He is an American attorney, lobbyist, and politician.
1981: DUI-Related Ticket
At age 20, Tom Emmer received a driving under the influence-related ticket in 1981.
1984: Graduated from University of Alaska Fairbanks
In 1984, Tom Emmer graduated from the University of Alaska Fairbanks with a Bachelor of Arts in political science.
1986: Married Jacqueline
In 1986, Tom Emmer married his wife, Jacqueline.
1988: Received Juris Doctor from William Mitchell College of Law
In 1988, Tom Emmer received a Juris Doctor from William Mitchell College of Law in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
1991: Pleaded Guilty to Careless Driving
In 1991, Tom Emmer, at age 30, pleaded guilty to careless driving; charges for DWI and a license-plate violation were dropped.
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.
2007: Called climate science "Al Gore's climate porn"
In 2007, as a state representative, Tom Emmer called climate science "Al Gore's climate porn", referring to Gore's documentary An Inconvenient Truth.
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.
2009: Voted against Bisphenol-A legislation
In 2009, Tom Emmer voted against legislation to prohibit sales of any children's product containing Bisphenol-A (except for used children's products).
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.
October 9, 2010: Opposed anti-bullying legislation
During an October 9, 2010, televised debate, Tom Emmer said he would oppose legislation to combat school bullying against gay and lesbian young people.
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: 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.
2019: Antisemitic canards
In 2019, Tom Emmer sent a fundraising letter that critics alleged included antisemitic canards.
October 2020: Violation of airline rules
In October 2020, Tom Emmer flew on a Delta flight in violation of the airline's rules, potentially exposing passengers to coronavirus.
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.
January 6, 2021: Attack on the United States Capitol Complex
On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol Complex was attacked.
May 19, 2021: Voted against establishing a national commission to investigate the January 6 attack
On May 19, 2021, Tom Emmer voted against establishing a national commission to investigate the January 6, 2021, attack on the United States Capitol Complex.
August 2021: Statement on Jennifer Carnahan's resignation
In August 2021, Tom Emmer released a statement about the resignation of Minnesota Republican Party chair Jennifer Carnahan after her ties with Anton Lazzaro became a national news story. Emmer donated Lazzaro's donation to charity.
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: 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.
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