News: NRCC Chair Richard Hudson sounded a modest alarm Thursday evening on a House Republican Conference call, saying that he needs GOP lawmakers to actually “want” to grow the majority. The North Carolina Republican also warned that members need to step up their fundraising and stay on message or else they could “lose the country” this election.
Here’s what Hudson said:
This was the first widely attended Republican meeting since Vice President Kamala Harris took the lead in the polls over former President Donald Trump in several critical states, complicating the path for the GOP to keep its House majority.
Speaker Mike Johnson struck a slightly more optimistic tone, telling members he has been encountering strong Republican candidates and good energy on the ground as he travels the country over the August recess. But Johnson acknowledged the shift in the political landscape sounds “ominous” at first blush. Republican lawmakers were revved up by Hudson and Johnson’s messages, according to sources on the call.
Johnson announced that he would transfer $4 million to the NRCC. And House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik said she would transfer $2 million to the NRCC, New York GOP and candidates.
HFC drama. The House Freedom Caucus will have to soon choose a leader to succeed lame-duck Chair Bob Good (R-Va.), but the group is grappling with limited options in who can best lead the ultraconservative Republican faction.
The leadership crisis marks perhaps the lowest point for the once powerful House Freedom Caucus, which has struggled to find its direction this Congress
Fresh off losing his GOP primary recount, Good is planning to step down as chair in September once the House is back in session, according to multiple sources.
As of now, there are plans to potentially reinstate former HFC Chairs Scott Perry (R-Pa.) or Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) during the period between Good’s resignation and a new Congress convening in January.
But Perry is facing a tough race against Democratic challenger Janelle Stelson, who has raised a significant amount of money. HFC insiders told us Perry has to focus on his own race, so it’s unlikely he’ll return as HFC chair. Stelson has repeatedly hit Perry over his ties to the group.
Early momentum is building for Biggs, who chaired the group from 2019-2022. Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.), a freshman HFC member, told us he plans to make a pitch to the group soon to put Biggs in for the remainder of this Congress.
But that still leaves the long-term problem of who comes next.
Bob’s baggage: Good’s time as chair was rocky at best, defined by multiple departures and Good’s high-profile feuds with Trump and HFC founder Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).
Good angered Trump with his early endorsement of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the GOP presidential primary. Good later tried to align himself with the former president but Trump and his allies went after him, giving primary challenger John McGuire an edge in the Virginia 5th District race.
Good kicked Texas Rep. Randy Weber out in March over attendance issues and pushed to oust Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) for supporting McGuire. Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) resigned from the group over Davidson’s ouster. Other fed-up members have privately contemplated quitting.
Good also clashed with Jordan, booting one of the Ohio Republican’s top allies from leading the HFC’s fundraising apparatus. Good put the kibosh on the group using Jordan’s name to raise money, as we previously reported.
Complicated candidates: So far, Reps. Andy Harris (R-Md.), Chip Roy (R-Texas), Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) and Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) have all been floated as potential recruits to lead the rambunctious group next year. Under current caucus rules, the chair has to be a member of the board, which limits their options.
There are concerns with Harris due to him being a cardinal on the House Appropriations Committee, according to multiple people familiar with the group’s dynamics. Harris, they say, could be hesitant to rebel against leadership-driven funding bills that the HFC doesn’t agree with.
Roy, currently the HFC policy chair, endorsed DeSantis, too, and has his own issues with Trump. Trump even called on someone to primary Roy in 2023. That bad blood doesn’t sit well for a group that’s supposed to be Trump’s biggest allies in Congress, especially if the former president returns to the White House.
Boebert is one of the most controversial members of Congress, with frequent negative publicity about her private life. HFC chairs also have to lead press engagement and messaging. The Colorado Republican isn’t exactly known for her accessibility for scrums.
Ogles running as a freshman has privately annoyed some of his colleagues, who think the chair should be someone of more senior status. The Tennessee Republican is also now under FBI investigation over campaign finance issues.
– Mica Soellner, Melanie Zanona and Jake Sherman
