Rep.-elect Don Leonard of Ohio has not committed to supporting Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for House Speaker. He said senior House Democrats warned him that refusing to do so could bring serious problems for his work and his future campaigns.
Leonard described those problems as “stark consequences.” He said they include the loss of committee assignments and a lack of support when he runs for reelection. He made the comments on Wednesday in an interview with TMZ DC’s Jacob Wasserman.
According to Mediaite, he has set two conditions before he will back Jeffries. Leonard wants a vote on a constitutional amendment that would overturn the Citizens United decision. He also wants the United States to end its support for the war in Iran.
Leonard details the dinner warning and the costs he expects
In a video posted Tuesday by Drop Site News’ Ryan Grim, Leonard said lawmakers told him what would happen if he did not support Jeffries, who has drawn criticism for failing to impeach Hegseth. He claimed they warned him about “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.”
Leonard called the encounter “stuff you see in the movies.” At the same time, he said the lawmakers “actually care” about him and were “cheering” for him.
On Wednesday, he described the meeting differently to Wasserman. Leonard said, “It was so much less cinematic. It was actually a dinner with senior elected officials, and I let them know where my position was on the speaker, and they were offering very friendly advice with very stark consequences.” He added, “It wasn’t in leadership. It wasn’t their position to do it. It was just friendly advice from future colleagues.”
Wasserman responded, “It doesn’t sound that friendly.” He reminded Leonard that he had called the scene something out of a movie. Leonard answered, “Well, what’s out of a movie is the consequences of it, right? And the consequences are very real.”
He then listed what those consequences would be. Leonard said committee assignments will be withheld. He said the ability to get legislation on the floor for votes will be difficult. He also said the ability to get support for re-election will be a difficult case to make. Similar tension had surfaced in Michigan, where leaders allegedly tried to take down El-Sayed even though a poll showed strong support for him before the midterms.
Wasserman asked, “Is this not what people criticize Trump for?” Leonard replied, “Welcome to Washington, D.C. I’m not shocked, but I’m disappointed.” He declined to name the lawmakers who spoke with him at the dinner.
The discussion comes after progressive Democrats showed frustration with Jeffries. On Tuesday, an effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth failed when 11 House Democrats missed a procedural vote. That vote would have moved the impeachment articles to committee.
Leonard said Tuesday he is not changing course. He stated, “At the end of the day, the big D Democratic Party needs some little d democracy, and well, I’m just a stubborn S–B.”
Published: Nov 12, 2026 07:30 am