The 2024 election cycle has ended, with Republicans holding control of all three branches of government. The Washington Examiner interviewed over two dozen new members as they prepare to take office in January. Part 10 of Capitol’s new crop will introduce Rep.-elect Mark Harris (R-NC) and other possible Freedom Caucus recruits.
The House Freedom Caucus could attract a cohort of new lawmakers in the coming Congress, especially as the conservative group looks to increase its influence with the return of President-elect Donald Trump to the White House and a GOP trifecta in Congress.
At least 30 Republican freshmen will join the House next month, all with different goals and priorities. But for a few of the political newbies, joining the Freedom Caucus may be at the top of the list.
At least two members have been floated as possible recruits to the caucus, including Rep.-elects Brandon Gill (R-TX), who was endorsed by several caucus members as well as the House Freedom Fund, and Bob Onder (R-MO), who is a former member of the Missouri Freedom Caucus.
When asked by the Washington Examiner, Gill declined to say whether he was interested in joining the caucus, saying he would “take a look” if the group invited him.
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However, Rep.-elect Mark Harris (R-NC) told the Washington Examiner he would be interested in joining the group, especially because of his stances on fiscal responsibility and addressing the national debt.
“I made no bones about it in the campaign that I intended to, you know, be involved with the Freedom Caucus,” Harris said in an interview. “I do think that we’re at an opportunity now where many of the folks in the Freedom Caucus who have continued to sound that alarm about the national debt certainly are going to have … an opportunity to lead.”
Harris has closely aligned himself with the caucus over the years, telling the Washington Examiner he is good friends with Mark Meadows, a co-founder of the group. Additionally, Harris received the endorsement of Freedom Caucus member Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) and campaigned alongside former Freedom Caucus Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH).
If he joins, Harris will be adding new blood to the group, which has experienced a jostle in its membership over the last two years with the removal of Reps. Ken Buck (R-CO), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), and Warren Davidson (R-OH), the last of which prompted Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) to leave the group in protest.
The group has also seen a shake-up in its leadership after former Chairman Bob Good (R-VA) lost his primary in August to Rep.-elect John McGuire (R-VA), prompting him to step down from the top caucus position. Good was replaced with Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD), who brushed off recent departures when asked by the Washington Examiner.
Instead, Andy Harris said he expected the group to have a larger say in the next Congress, particularly with Trump back in the Oval Office.
“The president knows that the strongest supporters in Congress are in the House Freedom Caucus,” chairman Andy Harris told the Washington Examiner in an interview last month. “I think we will have the attention of the White House and his ear to bring them along more to our point of view.”
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Since its inception in 2015, the Freedom Caucus has been known for its conservative reputation and tendency to buck GOP leadership on key pieces of legislation, with members often threatening to withhold their support on must-pass spending bills unless certain demands are met. Those practices have frequently made the caucus a thorn in leadership’s side, especially in the current Congress as GOP leaders have had to navigate a historically slim majority and a stubborn right flank.
Andy Harris argued that the Freedom Caucus has already been able to flex its muscles to achieve its goals, pointing to key pieces of legislation that passed the House last year, such as H.R. 2, Republicans’ signature border bill, that the group gave key input to its language. But now with the Senate in GOP hands, Harris expects that influence to grow.
Hailey Bullis contributed to this report.
