The House Freedom Caucus has elected Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) as its new chairman to replace Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), who will leave office early next year after losing his primary election earlier this year.
Caucus members voted to elect Harris in a voice vote on Tuesday evening, a lawmaker confirmed to the Washington Examiner. The vote comes after Good officially rescinded his chairmanship last week, telling members he would allow someone new to take over once the board accepted his resignation.
Good was elected as chair at the beginning of this year but said he would step down after losing his primary in June. Terms as Freedom Caucus chair typically last two years.
The Freedom Caucus was formed in 2015 by a group of conservative lawmakers looking to establish themselves as “smaller, more cohesive, more agile, and more active,” according to Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), who was the chairman at the time of its founding. Caucus members have closely aligned with former President Donald Trump, and the group consists of many of his staunch allies on Capitol Hill.
But that dynamic experienced a slight shift when the caucus elected Good as its chairman in January.
Good had also angered Trump when he endorsed Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) for the GOP presidential nomination last year. Good later switched his endorsement to Trump after DeSantis suspended his campaign, but that wasn’t enough to appease the former president, who endorsed his primary challenger John McGuire.
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Trump’s endorsement helped boost McGuire to a narrow victory over Good, defeating the incumbent by just 374 votes.
It’s not clear whether Harris will carry out the rest of Good’s term, which expires in January 2025, or if they’ll seek a new chairman at the beginning of next year.