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WASHINGTON – On Tuesday, Republicans selected Rep. Tom Emmer as their choice for House speaker. However, Emmer withdrew from the race approximately four hours after he was officially nominated for the post, after former President Donald Trump criticized him on social media.

“I have many wonderful friends wanting to be Speaker of the House, and some are truly great Warriors. RINO Tom Emmer, who I do not know well, is not one of them,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. RINO stands for “Republican in name only.”

The task of uniting the GOP majority, which is proving more challenging than anticipated, falls to whoever assumes the role of House speaker.

Emmer’s withdrawal has now created an opportunity for Louisiana Congressman Mike Johnson, a Republican from Benton, who is re-entering the race and is now considered the leading contender to become the fourth speaker-designate in just the past three weeks, as confirmed by his staff.