Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-Ga.) on Thursday said he and his family had received death threats after he opted not to vote for Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) for the second time this week.
“Shortly after casting that vote, my family and I started receiving death-threats. That is simply unacceptable, unforgivable, and will never be tolerated,” Mr. Ferguson said in a statement released on Oct. 19.
The Georgia lawmaker explained he reversed his support for Mr. Jordan.
“As the Republican Conference designee, I supported Congressman Jordan on the first ballot. Following the first vote, I had genuine concerns about the threatening tactics and pressure campaigns Jordan and his allies were using to leverage members for their votes,” Mr. Ferguson stated. “I discussed this directly with Jim, and planned to support him on the second ballot.”
“When the pressure campaigns and attacks on fellow members ramped up, it became clear to me that the House Republican Conference does not need a bully as the Speaker,” he added.
As a result, Mr. Ferguson said he decided to vote for Mr. Scalise, whom he called “a principled conservative and unifying leader.”
Threats
Some House Republicans say they’ve received threats for not supporting Mr. Jordan.“One thing I cannot stomach, or support is a bully,” Ms. Miller-Meeks said in a statement. “I did not stand for bullies before I voted for Chairwoman Granger and when I voted for Speaker designee Jordan, and I will not bend to bullies now.”
She said that proper authorities had been notified and her office was “cooperating fully” with law enforcement.
In one text message provided to the outlet, one individual messaged Mr. Bacon’s wife saying: “Your husband will not hold any political office ever again. What a disappoint [sic] and failure he is.”
Rep. Nick Lalota (R-N.Y.) shared a screenshot of a text threat he received on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Oct. 18. Mr. LaLota voted for former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) in both votes.
“My vote card belongs to me and the people of NY’s First Congressional District. I will not succumb to threats,” Mr. LaLota wrote on X.
The threats have not been targeting exclusively House Republicans who do not support Mr. Jordan.
Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), who voted for Mr. Jordan twice this week, wrote on X that he “was threatened for supporting Jim Jordan” and he had since “reported the threat to the Capitol Police.” The Indiana lawmaker added, “I didn’t blame the Republicans who voted against Jim Jordan.”
On Oct. 18, Mr. Jordan called the reported threats “abhorrent” in a post on X.
3rd Vote
A third vote for the House’s top job originally scheduled for Oct. 19 was canceled.On Thursday afternoon, Mr. Jordan told reporters that he was “still running” but wanted to speak with the 22 House Republicans who voted against him in the second round.
“This is a speech you won’t want to miss from the next Speaker of the House!” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) wrote on X, referring to Mr. Jordan’s upcoming press conference.
