'Insignificant' Freedom Caucus chair draws ire from GOP and Trump campaign over DeSantis support
Since US Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) was elected to serve as chairman of the House Freedom Caucus days ago, ongoing chaos within the party has only escalated.
The Virginia congressman has drawn ire and "skepticism" from many of his colleagues for two critical reasons: his support for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over ex-President Donald Trump, and his vote to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) in September.
Good recently told CNN, "He's the most outstanding governor that I’ve seen in my lifetime. And I think that he gives us the best chance to win the battleground states. The polls don't indicate that most Republicans are joining me with that. But we’ll see in Iowa. … I will be enthusiastically behind either one of them as the nominee. But I stand behind my endorsement of Gov. DeSantis."
One Freedom Caucus member told the news outlet, "I think there's concerns at every layer," regarding Good's endorsement of the Florida leader. "There is a concern: Can the organization continue to be effective? Does the brand shift, take on the character of Bob, or does Bob take on the character of the historical organization? That's not 100% aligned in the view of a lot of people.”
Additionally, CNN notes, "His endorsement could also be a liability for Good's own reelection race, where he is now facing a pro-Trump Republican challenger using his DeSantis endorsement against him."
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The report notes when Good was "asked whether he's concerned about Trump potentially coming after him in a primary," he said, "I respect President Trump and I look forward to having a great working relationship with him in whatever capacity." He added Trump is "the best president of my lifetime."
The former president, along with his aides, "were annoyed with Good when he announced in May that he was endorsing DeSantis, Trump's leading rival at the time," according to CNN. "They viewed his backing of the Florida governor as 'disloyal,' one of Trump's advisers told CNN shortly after Good's endorsement, arguing that the former president 'helped get him elected' by endorsing Good’s congressional bid in 2020."
Another Trump adviser said, "No one has mentioned Bob Good at all. It's an insignificant thing and it's not even on our radar. DeSantis isn't going to be the nominee, so it's a moot point for us."
Furthermore, as a result of Good's DeSantis endorsement and McCarthy criticism, CNN reports:
Now, Good is staring down a primary threat of his own: McGuire, a Virginia state representative and former Navy Seal who has made Trump front and center in his campaign.
A source close to McGuire said he was not planning to run for the seat, but was encouraged by people in the state to launch a bid after Good helped boot McCarthy from the speakership in October.
In a statement to CNN, McGuire said 'the calls to challenge Bob Good have become too great to ignore.'
'People from all over Virginia's 5th District feel that Bob's actions in joining with Pelosi, AOC, and other Democrats to take out a Republican speaker was completely self-serving and could not have come at a worse time for our elections here in Virginia this past November,' McGuire said. 'Throw on top of it that Bob endorsed DeSantis against Trump the day Trump was indicted … It all adds up to Bob is unfit to serve.'
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For the time being, speaking to his plans to lead his hard-right colleagues as chairman, Good told the news outlet, "We want to work with the speaker to accomplish the things that Republicans ran on, that Republicans stand for. And we're struggling with our own conference with a commitment to doing that.”
CNN's full report is here.
