House Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer followed by reporters, leaves the Republican caucus meeting at the Capitol in Washington, Oct 24, 2023, after withdrawing as Republican nominee for House speaker, becoming the third candidate to fall short. (PHOTO / AP)

WASHINGTON - Republicans in the US House of Representatives tried again to pick a leader on Tuesday after Representative Tom Emmer became the latest hopeful to fall victim to party infighting that has paralyzed Congress for over three weeks.

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Representative Mike Johnson of Louisiana emerged as the leading candidate with 85 votes after a closed-door evening vote, lawmakers said, though it was not clear whether he would be able to overcome divisions that tripped up Emmer and two other candidates who had previously won the party's nomination.

Rep. Mike Johnson, vice-chair of the House GOP Conference talks to reporters as he arrives at the Republican caucus meeting at the Capitol in Washington, Oct 24, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

Further rounds of voting were expected in an effort to unite the party behind a candidate who might win the speaker's gavel and break a stalemate that has left the House without a leader since Oct 3.

Like Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan before him, Emmer's prospects were doomed by a relatively small group of holdouts who denied him the 217 votes he would need to win the speaker's gavel. That high threshold and the party's narrow 221-212 majority means that any candidate can afford to lose just four votes if Democrats remain united in opposition

That has left lawmakers unable to respond to the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, or take steps to head off a partial government shutdown that would begin on Nov 18 without congressional action.

Emmer, who serves as the No. 3 Republican in the House, was the third lawmaker to see his bid for speaker collapse.

Like Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan before him, Emmer's prospects were doomed by a relatively small group of holdouts who denied him the 217 votes he would need to win the speaker's gavel. That high threshold and the party's narrow 221-212 majority means that any candidate can afford to lose just four votes if Democrats remain united in opposition.

READ MORE: US House fails to elect new speaker in second vote

Republicans have been unable to settle on a leader since a small faction from their party ousted incumbent Kevin McCarthy early this month for brokering a deal with Democrats to head off a government shutdown.

"We have no capacity at the moment to come to a verdict, and that is a very distressing place to be,” Representative Marc Molinaro said.

Johnson, a conservative constitutional law attorney, has billed himself as a "team player and a bridge builder." The northwest Louisiana district he represents is one of the poorest in the country.

“He knows everybody very well, does a great job with bringing people to the floor, talking about our policies, and that's what we need right now," said Republican Representative Kevin Hern, who withdrew his own bid to support Johnson.

Representative Chuck Fleischmann was eliminated in Tuesday night's voting, according to Representative Elise Stefanik, the No. 4 House Republican and the most senior member of the caucus not to have made a bid for speaker.

Byron Donalds, Mark Green and Roger Williams were also candidates. In total, 14 Republicans have put their names forward for speaker this month.

The US Capitol is seen on a sunrise as a person passes by on Oct 24, 2023, in Washington. (PHOTO / AP)

Trump opposition

Emmer has a more moderate record than many other House Republicans. Unlike many in his party, he voted to certify Democratic President Joe Biden's 2020 victory over Republican Donald Trump following the Jan 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters.

Trump urged Republicans to oppose Emmer after he won the nomination.

Many Republicans have said on principle that they would not back somebody who had support from the opposition party.

"I thought Tom was well-respected until he said he'd run for speaker. It turns out you find out who your enemies are real quick with this job," Representative Kelly Armstrong told reporters.

Trump early this month had backed Jordan's bid for the speakership, but Republicans gave up on his attempt last week after Jordan lost three floor votes.

Before that, No. 2 House Republican Steve Scalise dropped his own bid when he was unable to line up enough votes to win the job.

READ MORE: US House Republicans nominate right-wing Jordan for speaker

Democrats have said they are open to a compromise candidate who would allow the chamber to function. Many Republicans have said on principle that they would not back somebody who had support from the opposition party.

"We must pursue a bipartisan path forward and reopen the House," top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries said on social media.

The uncertainty has also helped to push up the US government's borrowing costs. The government posted a record $1.7 trillion deficit for the most recent fiscal year, in part due to higher interest payments.