In Jim Jordan, The Freedom Caucus Finally Has An Ally In Leadership

After years of battling with GOP House leadership over bloated budgets, conservative policy, and how the chamber is run, the House Freedom Caucus will have an ally in leadership when the new Congress kicks off in January.  

Earlier this week, House Republicans chose Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) to be their next leader as they enter minority status after a massive blue wave swept across the country. Despite the party’s weakened position, Jordan said he wants to go on the offensive against the newly empowered Democrat majority. 

An aggressive approach should play well with members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, who for years have demanded more action from Republican leadership — whether that be defunding Planned Parenthood, repealing Obamacare, or stopping massive omnibus spending packages loaded with funding for woke pet projects. 

Jordan co-founded the House Freedom Caucus in 2015 alongside other Republican representatives frustrated with the status quo. They wanted to push the party to govern in a manner consistent with limited government principles. Now, with Jordan taking the helm, the Freedom Caucus has its first chair leading the fight as Republicans prepare to face the incoming Democrat onslaught.

“Look, Leader Jordan is a conservative. There’s no question about it. He is a superb communicator. 
That’s exactly what we need,” Freedom Caucus chair Andy Harris (R-MD) said Wednesday during a press conference where he said Republicans should take action to ban sanctuary cities and pass voter ID before the Democrats take over. 

Harris, who has led the conservative bloc since 2024, added that he looks forward to Jordan sparring with Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), the Democrats’ current minority leader who is poised to be the next Speaker of the House. 

“Hakeem Jeffries, who was a minority leader, was a good communicator as well,” Harris said. “I want to see the first time they go head to head.  And Jim Jordan will hold his own in that.”

Other members of the caucus told The Daily Wire they expected good things from Jordan’s leadership. 

“Republican leadership in the new Congress must unapologetically defend the Constitution, protect our freedoms, and fight back against the radical Left,” Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA) told The Daily Wire. “[Jordan] is a true patriot who will not be afraid to stand up for what is best for the American people.”

Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) echoed that sentiment. 

“Jim has never been afraid of a fight, never wavered in his conservative convictions, and never forgotten who sent him to Washington,” he said. “I am proud to call Jim my friend, and I have complete confidence he is the right person to lead House Republicans into the battles ahead.”

Some members anticipate potential disagreements down the road but insist they are working toward a “shared vision.” 

“It’s like when you hire your brother to build your house,” Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO), who is running to lead the caucus, told Politico. “There may be some awkward moments, but at the end of the day, we have a shared goal and a shared vision.”

Since its inception, members of the Freedom Caucus have frequently clashed with Republican leadership. In July 2015, Freedom Caucus co-founder and then-Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) attempted to oust then-House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) through a motion over frustration with how the House was being run. 

In another fight in 2018, members of the Freedom Caucus, including Jordan, voted against a farm bill favored by then-House Speaker Paul Ryan and Republican leadership because they wanted a vote on a bill that would have funded a border wall, mandated E-Verify for employers, and ended the diversity-lottery program. 

Many members of the caucus were involved in the January 2023 speakership fight, in which 20 Republicans withheld support from then-Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) until he agreed to specific concessions on how he would run the chamber. Those concessions from McCarthy included the creation of a panel to investigate government weaponization under then-President Joe Biden and the presence of conservative lawmakers on the House Rules Committee. 

During Mike Johnson’s speakership, members of the caucus clashed with the mild-mannered Louisiana Republican over Ukraine aid, surveillance powers, and the handling of annual spending packages.

Like Republicans nationwide, the Freedom Caucus will also need to figure out a way forward after the nation’s massive tilt to the Left. Stalwart members of the caucus, including Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) and Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), are leaving Congress after losing in elections for state offices. But Harris said Wednesday that he expected the caucus to grow bigger during the next Congress.

Jordan, who has led the influential House Judiciary Committee, told his colleagues that he was ready to take on the Left. 

“I am battle-tested on the oversight front, and I know the Democrats’ playbook,” he said. “I know what it will take to lead our Conference in the minority, to stay unified, and to coordinate and calibrate our response to the Democrats’ tactics.”

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