Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio has condemned the “abhorrent” threats made against Republicans who have not supported his bid to become House speaker.
Jordan, who failed to get enough support from his own party to replace Kevin McCarthy as House speaker for the second time on Wednesday, issued a statement after Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa said she received “credible death threats” for not backing Jordan for the role.
“No American should accost another for their beliefs,” wrote Jordan in a post in X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday. “We condemn all threats against our colleagues and it is imperative that we come together. Stop. It’s abhorrent.”
Miller-Meeks voted for Jordan in the first ballot on Tuesday but was one of 22 GOP lawmakers who went against the Ohio congressman in the second round of voting to instead vote for Rep. Kay Granger of Texas, chair of the House Appropriations Committee. The alleged threats came after several House Republicans spoke out against apparent intimidation tactics from Jordan and his allies to pressure GOP lawmakers to back the Ohio congressman for the speaker position.
Jordan received 199 votes in the last vote, one less than Tuesday’s ballot and still significantly short of the 217 votes needed for a House floor majority and there is no clear indication the MAGA congressman will be able to get the almost unanimous GOP support needed to break the current deadlock in the lower chamber.
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“Since my vote in support of Chairwoman Granger, I have received credible death threats and a barrage of threatening calls,” Miller-Meeks said on Wednesday. “The proper authorities have been notified and my office is cooperating fully.
“One thing I cannot stomach, or support is a bully,” she added. “Someone who threatens another with bodily harm or tries to suppress differing opinions undermines opportunity for unity and regard for freedom of speech.”
Miller-Meeks’ and Jim Jordan’s offices has been contacted for further comment via email.
Reports of the alleged death threats against Miller-Meeks arrived after Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, who twice voted for McCarthy to return to the role he was ousted from, also spoke out against anonymous threats, he said, his wife, Angie Bacon, received amid the House speaker voting.
Speaking to CNN’s Jake Tapper, the Nebraska congressman said that the intimidation tactic did not “have the desired effect” on influencing his vote.
“If they think a pressure campaign or bullying campaign is going to work for me, it’s not,” Bacon said. “They were calling my wife anonymously as well. She’s recorded some of them, and so it’s wrong. Some folks are so mad they don’t mind what boundaries they cross, but it’s not right. We can like each other and still disagree.”
Screenshots of texts sent to Angie Bacon were posted on social media by Politico reporter Olivia Beavers. One of the messages stated that if Rep. Bacon did not vote for Jordan then he would “not hold any political office ever again.”
Another House speaker vote is likely to take place on Thursday though it remains to be seen if Jordan can flip enough GOP votes to get elected. Democrats are expected to continue to unanimously back Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who once again got more votes than Jordan in Wednesday’s ballot (212-199).
While Jordan was able to get two House Republicans who originally did not back him to switch their vote on Wednesday—California’s Doug LaMalfa and Indiana’s Victoria Spartz—there were four defectors in the second ballot who had previously backed the Ohio congressman: Miller-Meeks, Florida’s Vern Buchanan, Georgia’s Drew Ferguson, and Minnesota’s Pete Stauber.
After Tuesday’s vote, Republicans who did not support Jordan came out to denounce what they described as the Ohio congressman’s strongarm tactics, which had put off some from backing the hardline lawmaker.
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida, who has now twice voted for House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, the previous GOP candidate who dropped out of the race as it became clear he would not get the needed support from his own party, spoke out on Tuesday against Jordan and his supporters’ tactics.
“The one thing that will never work with me—if you try to pressure me, if you try to threaten me, then I shut off,” Diaz-Balart said.
In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, Florida Congressman Byron Donalds, who voted for Jordan, said the pressure campaign mounted by other Republicans may have cost Jordan the House speaker first-round vote.