NRCC Chair Tom Emmer brushes off ‘naysayers’: ‘We delivered’

National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Chairman Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) celebrated GOP pickups in House midterm races and attempted to beat down frustration among Republicans over the gains being smaller than expected.

“For any of the naysayers, we’re happy to point out this is now the second straight cycle that House Republicans have picked up seats,” Emmer said in a post-midterm briefing on Wednesday. He was also the head of House Republicans’ campaign arm in the 2020 cycle when the GOP unexpectedly gained 13 seats. 

Election watchers at major outlets have not yet projected partisan control of the House in favor of one party or the other, but Republicans have a clear path to take control of the lower chamber as more races are called.

Emmer noted that 2022 would be the third time that Republicans flip control of the House since 1954.

Early results on Tuesday shattered Republican hopes of a massive red wave. Some GOP operatives predicted before the election that Republicans could win 235 to 240 seats or more. With early results showing that Democrats held on in many key target districts, Republican strategists are expecting a significantly slimmer majority.

“No one ever said this thing was going to be easy. I always said that all I could guarantee was that we’re going to win the majority,” Emmer said. “How wide and how deep the majority was going to be was totally up to the voters.”

“We did deal with some unique challenges in different states. But I’m really proud of our team and the work we did to get these candidates across the finish line,” Emmer said. “At the end of the day, the bottom line is we flipped the House and we’re now going to be a check on Joe Biden, the Democrats’ one-party rule.”

Emmer declined to get into specifics on which issues, such as abortion, may have kept Republicans from capturing more seats or whether former President Trump was a drag on House GOP candidates.

“This is not like any midterm you’ve ever seen because the numbers are not the same. We’re playing in blue country,” Emmer said.

He suggested that the NRCC laid the groundwork for culture cycles in some districts and that the party is “a cycle or two away from seeing a lot of these actually come across.”

Emmer confirmed that he is seeking the House majority whip position, the No. 3 slot in the conference in a majority. Reps. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and Drew Ferguson (R-Ga.) are also seeking the position.