House Freedom Caucus privately mulls Good’s future — and potential replacement
Bob Good, the Freedom Caucus Chair, could be the first to lose his position. This would put the ultra-conservative party in uncharted waters.
Rep. Bob Good wanted to revamp the House Freedom Caucus and make it a more assertive group within the Republican Conference. If he loses the Virginia primary on Tuesday, that plan could be put to an abrupt halt.
Discussions will instead shift to whether or not he can remain at the top of the group until he leaves Congress in the fall, and, if he cannot, who would replace him. According to four sources familiar with the discussion, these quiet conversations have already begun among GOP members and aides.
Good will lose his Freedom Caucus seat if he does not make up the 300-vote difference in a recount. This would be a first for the ultra-conservative party. The bylaws of the Freedom Caucus do not stipulate that the Virginian who has pledged to ask for a recount would have to step down from his position as chair. He is also viewed to be supported by the Freedom Caucus Board, which is responsible for making recommendations to its larger membership.
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Some said that it would be impossible for the group next year to lead discussions on fiscal spending when the chair is not even present. It doesn’t help either that Donald Trump has been doing a victory dance over his attempts to remove Good. This only adds to the embarrassment of the Freedom Caucus.
Good has riled high-profile members, including cofounder Rep. Jim Jordan(R-Ohio).
Under Good’s direction, the group started discussing ways to stop committee chairs from voting within the bloc. This would target Jordan (who is the chair of the House Judiciary Committee) and Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., who leads the House Homeland Security Committee.
Jordan confirmed last month to POLITICO that there was “talk of changing the bylaws”.
He responded more broadly when asked if he thought that the question was directed at him: “There was discussion”, but no changes have been made on this front yet.
He added, “The changes they proposed would impact me and Mr. Green,” he said.
Allies of Jordan saw it as much clearer: Good was trying to undermine Jordan, who is allied with Kevin McCarthy, the former Speaker, whom Good had helped oust.
In response to a question about the possibility of a leadership shake-up, a spokesperson for HFC said, “HFC doesn’t comment on memberships or internal processes.”
Good has also been tough with Freedom Caucus Members, removing at least two due to poor attendance. The current attempt to remove Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, for his endorsement of Good’s primary opponent has angered some Freedom Caucus members. Good’s not leading that effort. An ally is.
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., when asked if Good’s loss would affect his role as chairman, did not rule out the possibility. Instead, he noted that the Virginia vote count must be finalized first before the group is able to have further discussions.
You’ve got first to determine his race. Donalds stated that you can’t talk about this until you know [his race].
Donalds has been mentioned as a possible replacement. Some question Donalds’ viability given the widespread speculation that he is interested in running as governor of Florida when Gov. Ron DeSantis has been re-elected. He is not a board member, and the person chosen to be the new chair must be one as well.
Chip Roy, a Republican from Texas. Many are concerned that Roy may face the same issue as Good: He crossed Trump when he backed DeSantis during the Republican primary.
Freedom Caucus Members have also pointed out Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md. Good is seen as a close friend of Andy Harris, who has expressed interest in leading the group.
The Freedom Caucus Board is currently reviewing Davidson’s status within the group. Currently, board members are considering declaring Davidson a “member not in good standing”, which would reduce the threshold to remove him from 80 percent down to 50%. This designation is usually reserved for Freedom Caucus Members who have not paid their dues or don’t attend meetings regularly.
Two people who are familiar with the discussions say that Freedom Caucus members have been discussing amending their bylaws so as to prohibit endorsing a primary opponent of a member of the HFC. Davidson’s support for McGuire was viewed by many Freedom Caucus members as a bold move that reflected the need for a change in the dynamics of the group.
When asked about endorsing the primary opponent of another HFC Member, Rep. Ralph Norman said that lawmakers are “free-agents.”
Norman stated in a short interview that “everyone makes their own decisions.” “I dislike it when they endorsing against Freedom Caucus.”
Davidson has defended the endorsement of Good by saying that it was a referendum not on conservative caucus, but on Good. Davidson and Good are not friends. The former resigned from the board of the group when Good became the chair.
While Good may not be the one leading the charge against the Ohio Republican in the group, the move to remove Davidson has sparked both private and public questions among the members about how Davidson can be expelled when his endorsement technically did not violate the group’s guidelines.
“I don’t think that this should happen.” Jordan stated that he had not voted to kick anyone out of the Freedom Caucus. He also noted that he voted last year against ousting Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.
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