The House Freedom Caucus finally got one of its own to the top of the Republican conference — and effectively crippled its own power, according to a report.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), who co-founded the hugely influential right-wing caucus in 2015 and served as its first chair, was elected Tuesday as the next leader of House Republicans. Politico reported Thursday that the win leaves the hardliners facing an awkward question heading into 2027.
The caucus built its clout by withholding votes in narrowly divided Republican majorities, Politico stated.
That leverage is about to vanish now that its own leaderis at the head of the party in the House.
That’s coupled with the fact that the GOP is on track for the smallest House minority any party has had in more than three decades, meaning a holdout faction has little to hold out on.
Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) said the caucus had been the most powerful faction in a chamber with majority control, but that is now gone. “Well, that’s off the table now,” he said.
Not everyone accepts that the group is losing steam. At a Wednesday news conference, where caucus members blamed the party’s midterm drubbing on timid leadership, Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA) bristled when asked what the caucus is for now that its own leader has become the head of the House GOP.
“What you’re saying, basically, is that the whole entity of the Freedom Caucus can be found in one man. That’s not right,” said Clyde, who is running to chair the group.
Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO), another candidate for the chair, admitted the relationship could get uncomfortable and said the caucus would still need to lean on Jordan sometimes.
“It’s like when you hire your brother to build your house,” Burlison told Politico. “There may be some awkward moments, but at the end of the day, we have a shared goal and a shared vision.”
Members floated different visions for what comes next. Higgins said the group’s principles haven’t changed, but its focus would shift toward “strategic alignment to protect the gains that we have indeed made over the last few years.” Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-IN) pitched something closer to a “think tank model,” with the caucus gathering research to shape the broader conference.
Several members suggested the caucus could also serve as cover for Jordan, taking hard-line stances he can’t easily take himself as leader.
“He’ll need us to align strategically and be willing to draw lines in the sand that would be more difficult for him to do as the leader of the conference,” Higgins said.
Even caucus loyalists concede Jordan now answers to everyone in the conference, not just the hardliners.
“So we don’t expect him to be a direct advocate for HFC,” said Rep. Keith Self (R-TX). “He will certainly be a friend of HFC.”
Along with Jordan, the caucus is losing much of its old guard as reps. Chip Roy (R-TX), Ralph Norman (R-SC), Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and former chair Andy Biggs (R-AZ) all lost their seats in the election.
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