A member of the House Freedom Caucus has endorsed a primary challenger to the group’s chairman, a move sure to inflame tensions in the hard-line conservative group.
Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) on Sunday endorsed John McGuire, a Virginia state senator and former Navy SEAL, in his challenge to Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), chairman of the Freedom Caucus.
“In Virginia’s 5th District, John McGuire is conservative and effective. He will work well with others to deliver conservative results,” Davidson said in a statement. statement of endorsement shared by McGuire’s campaign on social media platform X. “I look forward to serving with him in the 119th Congress to support President Trump and the America First agenda. Drain the swamp!”
The race for Virginia’s central district, which will be decided on Tuesday, is one of the most ongoing primary challenges of the year and could result in the incumbent’s first defeat of the cycle.
Former President Trump endorsed McGuire, an apparent effort to punish Good for endorsing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) for president last year, despite Good’s quick public support for Trump after DeSantis dropped out. And Good’s vote to remove former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) prompted many of his colleagues in the House, as well as McCarthy himself, to support and campaign for McGuire.
Good has drawn support, however, from other members of the Freedom Caucus and many Trump allies — including Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) and Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Florida), a rumored Trump running mate . Over the weekend, Freedom Caucus members Chip Roy (R-Texas), Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), and Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) campaigned for Good ahead of primary election day.
But Davidson’s endorsement, which was first reportedby Politico, exposed tensions within the hard-line conservative group.
In December, Davidson said he would not seek re-election to the Freedom Caucus Board after it recommended Good to be the group’s next chairman, writing in a letter to colleagues that the group “often relies too much on power (made available primarily due to narrow majority) and very little influence with and among our colleagues”, and that “it is not a solid foundation for success”. Those concerns culminated in Good’s recommendation for president, Davidson wrote.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who was removed from the Freedom Caucus amid personal clashes with its members and publicly disagreeing with them, also supported Good’s challenger, McGuire.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
