After voting to get rid of a third member in a year, the far-right House Freedom Caucus is now split down the middle.
Politico reported that Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, was kicked out by people who work for Chairman Bob Good, R-Va. Good recently lost a primary race in Virginia for his district; he was the only Republican in Congress to do so. Davidson openly backed Good’s opponent, Trump supporter John McGuire.
Axios reported that Good’s supporters thought Davidson’s support for McGuire broke group rules against publicly criticizing another member and should have led to his expulsion. The members of the caucus decided 16–13 to get rid of Davidson, but some of Davidson’s supporters weren’t there.
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told Politico that he didn’t agree with the choice and knew that it could cause group members to quit.
“I took a vote against it and spoke out against it.” Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told Politico, “I’ve always said no to that.”
One person has already left. Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, quit right away after Davidson was fired.
The rules of the caucus say that members normally only lose their status if they miss meetings or don’t pay their dues. Davidson wasn’t bothered by either of them.
In the past, the caucus hasn’t talked about internal issues, but Politico says that the growing disagreements between old and new members who joined during and after Trump have caused some to start speaking out in public.
The vote to remove House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in October split the party in a big way. Early this year, the group decided to get rid of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., because she was fighting with Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo. The group was also split on whether to get rid of Mike Johnson as House Speaker.
“Backstabbing Bob Good and the people in the Never Trump Freedom Caucus are the issue. After Davidson was fired, Greene wrote on X, “They have destroyed the freedom caucus and made it useless.”
Sources told Axios that Good will likely step down as speaker once his loss is official. Good has said in public that he will ask for a recount in his primary race.
