The far-right group of lawmakers known as the Freedom Caucus is reportedly on the verge of folding, as its leader just lost a major election and donations are in freefall.
Rep. Bob Good, a Republican and the chairman of the controversial Freedom Caucus group since January, is asking for a recount after losing his primary race in Virginia to a GOP candidate who was supported by Donald Trump. If he does lose after the recount, he would be the first chair to be "voted out in the middle of their term," according to the Washington Times' Saturday report.
"The shift in political winds against Mr. Good was not tied directly to his role in the Freedom Caucus, but his downfall nevertheless jostled the group. For various reasons, fellow House Republicans, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and, most importantly, former President Donald Trump backed Mr. Good’s primary opponent, Virginia state Sen. John McGuire," the report states. "Mr. Good viewed the opposition in his race as an effort by establishment Republicans to maintain the status quo of working with Democrats to fund war in Ukraine, drive up federal spending and reauthorize a foreign surveillance law that allows warrantless spying on Americans. He said he represents the opposite, someone who 'fights the Democrats' and policies Republicans campaigned against."
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According to the outlet, "Mr. Good’s pending exit puts the House Freedom Caucus at a crossroads" as to its future role of challenging fellow Republicans.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was bounced from the group, has her own axe to grind.
"She told The Times that the group has chosen the 'anti-leadership' moniker as its only identity in the Republican conference. That all starts with Mr. Good, she said," according to the report. “'They’ve been in shambles for a really long time. You know, it’s been falling apart and they’ve lost a lot of donations because of it. And they don’t even know what their identity is right now,' Ms. Greene said."
But not everyone agrees with Greene's stance against the caucus.
"Rep. Eli Crane of Arizona, a Freedom Caucus member who embraced the hard-liner label, said his House colleagues’ effort to take out Mr. Good will have repercussions throughout the conference but won’t tame 'stronger' Freedom Caucus members," according to the news report. "Mr. Crane said he will 'absolutely not' change how he operates."
