Republican lawmakers say they have been the target of intimidation tactics, including death threats, from allies of Jim Jordan as his bid for the House speakership hangs in the balance.
Several Republicans told reporters they had been under pressure from supporters of Mr Jordan, who lost a second ballot on Wednesday.
Mr Jordan, a right-wing Republican from Ohio, denies harassment.
A hardline conservative revolt ousted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on October 3.
Marianne Miller-Meeks, a Republican from Iowa, wrote in a statement on Wednesday that she had “received credible death threats and a barrage of threatening phone calls” after switching her vote to someone else to replace Mr. Jordan.
“There is one thing I cannot accept or support,” she wrote, “and that is bullying.
Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican who has been particularly vocal about his opposition to Mr. Jordan, showed Politico text messages showing his wife being harassed by a supporter of the future president.
“Your husband will no longer hold any political office,” one anonymous message read. “What a pathetic and failed man.”
Mr. Jordan denied any involvement in the pressure campaign.
“No American should be held accountable for their beliefs,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday evening.
“We condemn any threats against our colleagues and it is imperative that we stand together.
“Stop. That’s disgusting.”
Several Republicans who opposed Jordan, including Jen Kiggans of Virginia, Kay Granger of Texas and John Rutherford of Florida, complained about inappropriate persuasion tactics from local conservative leaders and influential right-wingers who supported Mr. Jordan.
“Intimidation and threats will not change my views,” Ms. Kiggans wrote on X.
While no one believes Mr Jordan himself was directly involved, some blame the tactic on him.
Carlos Gimenez, a Florida Republican, told NBC News that he had addressed the issue directly with Jordan, saying: “I really don’t like the threats.”
“He told me he was not behind it and asked people to stop, but if you really ask people to stop, why don’t they listen to you?” Mr. Gimenez said.
He said his office received robocalls (pre-recorded calls) about his opposition to Jordan.
Arkansas Republican Steve Womack criticized what he called Jordan’s allies’ “attack, attack, attack” tactics targeting lawmakers who did not vote for him to become Speaker of the House.
And even some of Mr Jordan’s allies, including Florida’s Byron Donalds, have admitted that the heavy-handed approach may have “backfired”.
“I think that puts Jim at a disadvantage,” Mr. Donalds told reporters.
The infighting came after Mr Jordan failed for a second time to win enough votes from his party for the presidency.
On Wednesday, the Republican candidate fell short of the 217 votes he needed, after 22 Republicans voted against him — two more than on Tuesday.
The third vote is expected to take place on Thursday.
The leadership battle is far from over, more than two weeks after Kevin McCarthy was ousted from his leadership position in a revolt by some Republicans.
With the Speaker’s seat vacant, the Republican-controlled House would be unable to pass any bills or approve emergency aid requests from the White House.
That includes possible assistance to Israel in its fight with Hamas.
Democrats, who hold a minority in the House, have consistently voted for their own leader, Hakeem Jeffries of New York.
As frustration grew, debate heated up in the House over giving acting Speaker Patrick McHenry power for a temporary period of up to 90 days.
