The House Freedom Caucus has elected Rep. Bob Good of Virginia as its new chairman, putting a backer of Ron DeSantis’ presidential bid in charge of the arch-conservative group that is most closely associated with former President Donald Trump.
Mr. Good, one of eight Republicans who helped oust GOP Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California from the speaker post, is among five lawmakers in his party to support the Florida governor. Mr. Trump has the endorsement of the vast majority of Freedom Caucus members including outgoing chairman Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania and former chairs Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona.
Despite his endorsement of Mr. DeSantis, Mr. Good regularly extols the work of the Trump administration.
The Freedom Caucus, a group formed in 2015 with more than 30 members that often menace House Republican leaders from its right flank, weathered its own internal fight in the chairman election.
Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio, who served on the group’s board, announced in a letter first reported by Axios that he would not seek reelection to the board after it recommended Mr. Good for chairman just hours before the Monday night vote.
“I am concerned that our group often relies too much on power (available primarily due to the narrow majority) and too little on influence with and among our colleagues. This approach is not a strong foundation for success,” Mr. Davidson wrote. “For me, these concerns culminate with the Board’s recommendation that Bob Good serve as the next Chairman of the House Freedom Caucus.”
Mr. Good also helped torpedo two of the four GOP-backed bills from reaching the House floor this year.
The Freedom Caucus this year also ousted Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia from the group over her support for a debt-limit increase agreement by Mr. McCarthy, a profane outburst against Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado on the House floor and her tight relationship with Mr. McCarthy despite the group’s hostile toward him.
When asked about the consternation within the group following the election, Mr. Perry told reporters, “I don’t know if this is a newsflash for you, but people around here don’t always agree on everything.”
According to lawmakers in the group, Mr. Good was the only member on the ballot for chairman.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.