Don Bacon wife, Angela Bacon, receives anonymous texts pressuring husband to vote for Jim Jordan 

Supporters of Rep. Jim Jordan’s (R-Ohio) House speakership quest have targeted the wife of a Republican lawmaker opposing his bid, sending her anonymous text messages and emails warning that her husband could be booted from Congress if he doesn’t support Jordan’s candidacy. 

“Why is your husband causing chaos by not supporting Jim Jordan? I thought he was a team player,” read one text to Angie Bacon, the wife of Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), according to Politico. 

To which Angie Bacon responded, “Who is this???”

“Your husband will not hold any political office ever again. What a disappoint [sic] and failure he is,” the unknown sender messaged back. 

“He has more courage than you,” Angie Bacon fired back. “You won’t put your name to your statements.”

Rep. Don Bacon is one of 20 Republicans who voted against Jordan for speaker on Tuesday, in the first ballot voted on by the full House of Representatives. 

Jordan, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, needed 217 votes to clinch the gavel, but only received the support of 200 members. 

“Jim’s been nice, one-on-one, but his broader team has been playing hardball,” Bacon, who voted for Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Tuesday, told Politico, noting that he’s been getting calls from GOP leaders in Nebraska telling him to vote for Jordan. 

“Talk to your husband tell him to step up and be a leader and help the Republican Party get a speaker there’s too much going on in the world for all this going on in the Republican Party,” another anonymous text sent to Bacon’s wife reads, according to Politico. “You guys take five steps forward and then turn around take 20 steps backwards no wonder our party always ends up getting screwed over.”

Bacon is among several GOP lawmakers who have expressed displeasure about being pressured by Jordan supporters. 

“A little bit of advice if anybody is trying to get my vote,” Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart told reporters Monday. “The last thing you want to do is try to pressure me because then I close out entirely.”

“If folks think that they can pressure me, that’s where they lose me,” he added. 

Díaz-Balart voted for House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) on Tuesday’s ballot. 

“I think some of it did backfire … and I think it was to the detriment of Jim,” Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), who voted for Jordan, told reporters Tuesday about the pressure tactics. 

Several House Republicans told Politico that they don’t believe the badgering campaign is coming directly from Jordan, and the Ohio Republican called for attacks to end after his failed election. 

“We must stop attacking each other and come together,” Jordan tweeted. There’s too much at stake. Let’s get back to working on the crisis at the southern border, inflation, and helping Israel.”