Friday, November 13, 2026 Vol. I · No. 23 · Afternoon Edition Print size
Election 2026 494 of 505 races called See the results → The GOP Files Receipts on the Republican-run Washington · Sourced · Dated · On the record On Instagram 5.6M plays and counting @thegopfiles →
The Wire
Grand jury adds attempted terrorism charge against Correspondents' Dinner suspect About 32,000 immigrants face losing Medicare Feb. 1 under Republican tax-and-spending law Navy quietly fired submarine and destroyer leaders, Democrats say Congress was not told Miller memo requires White House staff to get counsel's approval before meeting lobbyists DOJ memo tells federal agencies to put English first and cut other languages On tape: Trump's Jan. 6 pardons told ICE it was beyond the law, Rep. Al Green says on the House floor Garcia calls Blanche's warning a threat; DOJ chief cites Constitution Bessent says Treasury wanted Megaspeed blacklisted, but 'Commerce has the pen' Postal Service to raise package prices Jan. 17 after $6.5 billion loss On tape: Cory Booker tells Kash Patel a federal judge vowed to toss subpoenas for reporters' phone records Grand jury adds attempted terrorism charge against Correspondents' Dinner suspect About 32,000 immigrants face losing Medicare Feb. 1 under Republican tax-and-spending law Navy quietly fired submarine and destroyer leaders, Democrats say Congress was not told Miller memo requires White House staff to get counsel's approval before meeting lobbyists DOJ memo tells federal agencies to put English first and cut other languages On tape: Trump's Jan. 6 pardons told ICE it was beyond the law, Rep. Al Green says on the House floor Garcia calls Blanche's warning a threat; DOJ chief cites Constitution Bessent says Treasury wanted Megaspeed blacklisted, but 'Commerce has the pen' Postal Service to raise package prices Jan. 17 after $6.5 billion loss On tape: Cory Booker tells Kash Patel a federal judge vowed to toss subpoenas for reporters' phone records

Congress Watch · Report · File No. 261110-848

Ohio Rep.-elect says Democrats warned of 'living hell' if he opposes Jeffries

Don Leonard, who flipped a Trump-won Ohio seat, says senior House Democrats pressed him to back Hakeem Jeffries for speaker. Party leaders deny knowing who he means, and Jeffries is the only announced candidate.

By the Capitol Desk · · 2 min read

Every quote in this story (1) was matched word for word against its source. How we work

My clippings
Hakeem Jeffries
Hakeem Jeffries. Photo: Office of Representative Hakeem Jeffries, Public domain

Representative-elect Don Leonard, a Democrat who won a Republican-held House seat in Ohio, says senior party members warned him of a "living hell" if he opposes House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for speaker. Leonard described the warning in a video posted to Instagram 1. The House Democratic Caucus chair says he does not know who Leonard means 1.

What Leonard says happened

Leonard said he met with senior House members on Monday to talk about the leadership vote. He said they told him in no uncertain terms that opposing Jeffries would mean making his life a living hell for two years and would make sure he loses his next election 1.

On tapeForbes Breaking News · Nov 10
Rep. Pete Aguilar is asked at a Tuesday press briefing about the warning Don Leonard says he received from senior House Democrats.Video: Forbes Breaking News on YouTube, “Aguilar Asked About Warning Top Dems Gave Incoming Dem Don Leonard If He Doesn't Back Jeffries”. It plays from YouTube when you press play.
basically mean both making my life a living hell for the next two years here in Washington, as well as being sure to lose my election in two years.
Don Leonard, Representative-elect, D-Ohio1

Leonard did not say who made the comments. He also did not explain how his life would be made harder 1. Newsweek notes that party leaders have influence over committee assignments and reelection money, both of which matter to a Democrat in a district that leans conservative 1.

Leonard won Ohio's 15th District, around Columbus and its southwestern suburbs, by more than 6 points. He unseated Republican Rep. Mike Carey in a seat Donald Trump carried by about 10 points in 2024 1. Leonard said he wants to meet Jeffries to discuss his constituents' priorities. He listed a constitutional amendment to end Citizens United, the Supreme Court ruling on political spending, and an end to support for the Iran war and Israel 1.

From Channel GOPHow Don Leonard flipped Ohio's 15th DistrictDon Leonard · 1.4K plays · captioned, with the source named

Leadership responds

Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, who chairs the House Democratic Caucus, said at a Tuesday press conference that he does not "know what senior Democrats he's talking about." He credited Jeffries with helping build the majority 1.

Newsweek said it asked Jeffries' office and Leonard's campaign for comment 1. On Monday, Jeffries was asked whether he has the votes. He said the House votes "next Wednesday" and added, "I guess we'll find out next Wednesday" 1.

The numbers behind the vote

Democrats have won 254 House seats, with 16 races still uncalled, according to the Associated Press as cited by Newsweek 1. Other incoming Democrats have also not committed to Jeffries. They include Darializa Avila Chevalier, a Democratic socialist from New York, and Jamie Ager of North Carolina, who is backed by the centrist Blue Dog Coalition 1.

The Washington Examiner reported Monday that the progressive wing of the incoming class is stopping short of committing to Jeffries. It also said Jeffries is the only Democrat to have announced a bid for speaker since his reelection 2.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York told Drop Site News that Jeffries faces an "unopposed race." She said a large majority would require dozens of defections, and she described that prospect as not realistic 1. A Change.org petition urging Democrats to pick someone else had more than 1 million signatures as of Tuesday 1.

Saikat Chakrabarti, a former congressional candidate and onetime chief of staff to Ocasio-Cortez, wrote on X that leaders would threaten to withhold money in races. That is his claim, and Newsweek did not confirm it 1.

That matters because the new majority is large but not unified. Some Democrats want a harder line against Trump, and Leonard's account, which is unconfirmed, shows how hard leaders may push to keep the party together before it takes power.

The Record

  1. Midterm election; Don Leonard wins Ohio's 15th District, unseating Rep. Mike Carey 1.
  2. Washington Examiner reports incoming progressives stop short of committing to Jeffries for speaker 2.
  3. Leonard says in a video that senior Democrats warned of a 'living hell' if he opposes Jeffries; Aguilar says he does not know who Leonard means 1.
Republish this story on your site or in your newsletter

Any site, blog or newsletter may run this story free of charge. Keep the credit line and its link to the original, do not sell it, and edit only for length or house style (the full terms). Photos carry their own licenses, noted under each photo on this page, so use the text alone unless a credit says otherwise.

Paste it into your editor's HTML view. The one-pixel image at the end tells our newsroom the story ran; it stores no reader data.

Sources

  1. Newsweek, “Incoming Congressman Says Dems Warn of 'Living Hell' for Opposing Jeffries” (2026-11-10). newsweek.com/incoming-congressman-says-dems-warn-of-living-h
  2. Washington Examiner, “New bloc of Democrats won't commit to Jeffries as speaker” (2026-11-09). washingtonexaminer.com/news/house/4796952/new-bloc-progressi

Found an error? Tell the newsroom. Corrections are noted at the top of the story.

More from the files

Delivered free to your door*

The Morning Edition

One short email at 7 a.m. Eastern: the day's top files, one clip worth your time, and the race to watch. Plain English, large type, no clutter.

*Your inbox. Free. Unsubscribe with one click, any time.