A leading House Freedom Caucus member is once again sparking intra-party tensions by backing a primary challenge to a fellow House Republican.
This time the target is Rep. William Timmons of South Carolina.
Adam Morgan, a state representative who chairs the South Carolina Freedom Caucus, is vying to oust Timmons. Morgan claims Timmons has failed to lead on conservative issues.
Senior HFC member Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) encouraged Morgan to run for the seat and endorsed him. Morgan also has close ties to Conservative Partnership Institute leaders Mark Meadows and Jim DeMint.
“The stakes couldn’t be higher in our nation and I have a proven strong track record at the state level of fighting and actually winning and getting results, and I want to do that in D.C.,” Morgan told us.
The Freedom Caucus and its outside allies have been active in recruiting and meeting with primary candidates in competitive races. We previously reported efforts to take on Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), as well as the group’s focus on the race to fill retiring Rep. Michael Burgess’ (R-Texas) seat.
At least one high-profile conservative is going after the HFC.
On Monday, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) endorsed John McGuire, who is running against HFC Chair Bob Good (R-Va.). Greene was booted from the Freedom Caucus last year and has been a vocal critic of Good. Good called MTG “a fraud” and “a liar” during an appearance on CNN.
For his part, an angry Timmons is firing back at his South Carolina colleague Norman for supporting a primary challenger.
“My record shows that I am a conservative that gets results,” Timmons told us. “Whereas Ralph has admitted to being ‘asleep at the switch,’ during his time in Congress, my focus is on the voters of the Fourth district. Ralph should try focusing on the Fifth.”
Norman responded by suggesting Timmons is weak politically, citing the primary results from 2022.
“William needs to worry about his constituents in the fourth district rather than worrying about me especially since he barely eked out a victory with only 52.7% in his 2022 primary against relatively unknown opponents,” Norman said.
Timmons has key support among leading House Republicans, including Speaker Mike Johnson and Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who called him a conservative fighter.
The Trump factor: Timmons just appeared with former President Donald Trump at a New Hampshire rally alongside other South Carolina Republicans.
Timmons’ campaign Instagram page has recently exploded with photos of the congressman and Trump. It also links to a website seeking to expose Morgan as being a “Never Trumper.”
Morgan endorsed Trump on Monday. Trump endorsed Timmons last cycle.
We’ll also point out that Norman is still supporting former South Carolina GOP Gov. Nikki Haley, for what it’s worth. He’s the sole member of the Palmetto State’s delegation not to back Trump.
— Mica Soellner
