Rep. Bob Good Elected Freedom Caucus Chair

WASHINGTON — The House Freedom Caucus has elected Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., to serve as its next chairman, despite the concerns of at least one board member that his take-no-prisoners style may not augur well in a future House where the majority’s margin is not quite as slim as it is today.

The vote for Good, who came to Congress in 2021 and was one of the eight Republicans who voted to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in early October, was held behind closed doors Monday night, with the result officially being announced Tuesday morning.

The announcement gave no indication whether there were any other candidates. Instead it began by acknowledging a choice had been made and that Good would succeed outgoing caucus chairman Scott Perry, R-Pa., starting in January 2024.

“Good has been a strong and vocal member of the Freedom Caucus since taking office in 2021, serving on the group’s board of directors as whip and championing the positions and messages of this caucus,” it said.

“It’s my privilege and honor to serve as the next Freedom Caucus chairman,” said Good in the same announcement. “I thank Rep. Perry for his outstanding leadership of the caucus and I look forward to building on the work he has done … continuing the fight to reduce government spending, secure our borders and defend our constitutional freedoms.”

The staunchly conservative House Freedom Caucus currently has about three dozen members, most of them seen as allies of former President Donald Trump.

One member, Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, even went so far as to threaten to nominate Trump as House speaker if another candidate couldn’t be found during the three weeks between McCarthy’s getting kicked to the curb and the GOP conference settling on Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La.

One reason the selection of Good is interesting on its face is it shows some diversity of opinion within the group is embraced: Good has endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to be the Republican presidential nominee.

The other thing that made Good’s elevation interesting is that while there may have been no other obvious alternatives for the post, he did face some opposition.

In fact, Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, said he would not seek reelection to the Freedom Caucus Board after it recommended Good as the next chairman.

In a letter to colleagues, first reported by Juliegrace Brufke of Axios, Davidson went to great pains to explain just what the caucus meant to him.

“I am energized by the House Freedom Caucus mission and driven by the urgent need to defend freedom,” he said.

“We know we need to change this place; it’s why we ran for Congress,” he said, adding he could not “imagine Congress without the Freedom Caucus.”

But then the mood of the letter changed.

“Even as we strive to serve as beacons of hope proclaiming what should be done, we must not miss the opportunities to achieve what can be done,” Davidson said.

“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,” he continued. “This approach is not a strong foundation for future success.

“For me these concerns culminate with the board’s recommendation that Bob Good serve as the next chairman of the House Freedom Caucus,” Davidson said. “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.”

Though he had no alternative name to offer, Davidson closed by asking his colleagues to “prayerfully consider electing someone else.”

Among those who applauded the caucus’ decision from the outside was Dr. Kevin Roberts, president of the conservative Heritage Foundation.

“Rep. Bob Good has been a steadfast advocate for conservative principles and a beacon of integrity within the House of Representatives,” Roberts said. “He has dedicated his career to protecting the sanctity of life, putting Americans’ interests first at home and abroad and curbing the power of Washington elites.

“Rep. Good’s record reflects the conservative principles held by the everyday American and aligns perfectly with the core values that the House Freedom Caucus embodies,” he continued. “The Heritage Foundation applauds the House Freedom Caucus for selecting Rep. Bob Good as its new chairman. Under his leadership, we are confident the HFC will continue to serve as a formidable force in upholding conservative ideals and combating misguided far-left policies that threaten the fabric of our nation,” he added.

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