In a surprising twist, Republican Congressman Don Bacon of Nebraska has diverged from his party’s stance and didn’t mince words when he labeled fellow Republican Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio a “loser.”
Last Monday, a lobbying firm known to have connections with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell orchestrated a clandestine phone call with Don Bacon. An email preceding the call laid out the agenda, stating, “Tonight at 8:00 PM EST, we will have a call with Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), a Republican member who is leading the fight against Jordan. Donald Trump is threatening any member who plans to vote against Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) for Speaker of the House.”
This secretive phone call appears to be part of a broader strategy to thwart Jim Jordan’s bid for Speaker of the House, a role for which he enjoys substantial grassroots support. Don Bacon seems to be at the forefront of this anti-Jordan campaign.
On Wednesday, Bacon appeared on CNN’s “The Lead” to discuss the ongoing Speaker of the House race. During the conversation with anchor Jake Tapper, Bacon asserted that Jordan “doesn’t have a pathway forward to 217 [votes]” and encouraged him to withdraw from the race, saying, “I believe he’s done. He needs to withdraw from this. He’s going to lose more votes tomorrow. I know it. I know who is going to cross over and change. He doesn’t have a pathway forward to 217.”
In a closed-door meeting on Friday, following the third vote, Jim Jordan suffered a loss with a vote tally of 112-86 in a secret ballot. To put this in perspective, that’s merely 198 votes out of 221 Republicans in the conference. This glaring disparity raises the question: Where were the missing 23 votes, and why did these Republicans abstain from such a pivotal vote?
Tensions flared as Bacon engaged in a terse exchange on social media with retired veteran Robert Anthony Sr. Bacon asserted that he was doing “what is right for our country,” to which Anthony retorted, “The arrogance to think you know what is right and 200 fellow Republicans in the House don’t?”
Bacon fired back, stating, “Actually, 112 Republicans decided to remove Jordan tonight. 86 GOP disagreed. The majority was with me.”
Anthony pointed out that “a bunch of spineless cowards went the route of a secret vote in the end.”
In a bold move reminiscent of Liz Cheney, Bacon doubled down, claiming, “He was a loser. Most knew it. He and his supporters broke election rules to get there in the first place. Election integrity broke Jordan.”
Even the head of the Nebraska Democrat party, Jane Kleeb, extended a somewhat unexpected welcome to Bacon, saying, “Maybe it’s time for Bacon to leave the party that’s become so extreme and hateful?”
According to DC Draino, there are questions surrounding Don Bacon’s financial ties. They allege that Bacon receives support from US-based Sequoia Capital, which invests in CCP (Chinese Communist Party) military technology and artificial intelligence. Sequoia is said to donate millions to Kevin McCarthy’s PAC “McCarthy Victory Fund.” McCarthy’s PACs, “Protect the House 2024” and “Take Back the House 2022,” have reportedly sent over half a million dollars to Don Bacon.
It remains to be seen how these developments will impact the dynamics within the Republican Party and the upcoming Speaker of the House race.
Bacon is from my state. He is very polarizing and is very much a RINO.