As the House Freedom Caucus prepared to elect a new leader, Republican Rep. Warren Davidson, a member of the far-right faction, sent his colleagues a rather provocative letter. The Ohioan conceded that Republican Rep. Bob Good of Virginia was likely to become the group’s next chair, but Davidson insisted this would be unwise.
“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,” the letter read. “I ask that we consider how to best increase our influence while preserving our power to move policy in the right direction. I strongly feel that Bob Good as Chairman will impair that objective.”
Davidson concluded with an appeal to “prayerfully consider electing someone else as chairman of the House Freedom Caucus,” adding that the group’s members “must not miss the opportunities to achieve what can be done.”
Those concerns were ignored. NBC News reported:
Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., has been elected the new chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, the group of far-right rabble-rousers who frequently clash with GOP leadership, a lawmaker confirmed. … Good, who ran unopposed and was recommended by the Freedom Caucus’ board, will replace current Chairman Scott Perry, R-Pa., in January.
Chances are, most Americans haven’t heard of the Virginia Republican — Good has only been in Congress for three years — but he’s quickly earned a reputation on Capitol Hill. Indeed, The Washington Post’s Dana Milbank referred to the congressman as a “legislative terrorist” in his latest column, which helped summarize perceptions of the GOP lawmaker.
Before Good arrived in Congress, the Virginia Republican made headlines in December 2020 when he called the pandemic a “phony“ crisis. More recently, Good has championed the impeachment crusade against President Joe Biden, pushed a debt ceiling crisis, and was part of the GOP faction that ousted then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in October.
He then parlayed this record into a chairmanship of the House Freedom Caucus. But as Good prepares to take on this new role, Davidson’s concerns should not be dismissed too quickly. The Ohioan not only made the case against Good, he also reminded Freedom Caucus members about how the contingent could better use its power to influence members outside the faction. It was an appeal based on the idea that the group and its members could prioritize persuasion. It was also an idea the Freedom Caucus apparently felt comfortable ignoring. It’s not a secret that the right-wing bloc has been a thorn in the side of House Republican leaders since its creation. No one should be surprised if this dynamic becomes even more intense in 2024.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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