U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX-22) announced he would resign from the U.S. House Freedom Caucus (HFC) Monday night after members voted to expel Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH-08) amid controversy over endorsements in a hotly contested Virginia primary race.
“I respect the HFC and have been aligned with their conservative positions. I want to grow the organization and encourage more members to join. With tonight’s vote, it was clear that is not their objective,” Nehls said in a statement to The Texan.
“I value what the HFC brings to the table, and I can assure them I will continue to support their conservative agenda. I just won’t be a member.”
Dissention within the conservative caucus erupted following the Virginia Republican Primary elections in which caucus chair Rep. Bob Good (R-VA-05) narrowly lost to challenger John McGuire by a mere 374 votes of nearly 63,000 ballots cast in June. Good has claimed there were voting irregularities in some areas of the district and has vowed to pursue a recount and possibly legal action.
Elected HFC chair last December, Good drew the wrath of former President Donald Trump by endorsing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president. Although he shifted his endorsement to Trump after DeSantis dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, Trump endorsed McGuire, as did Davidson.
An unnamed source told The Hill that HFC voted 16 to 13 to expel Davidson after a closed-door meeting Monday evening.
“I’m sure we’ll have some,” Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC-05) said about the possibility that more members will soon depart the group. “We’ve got a lot of issues to address.”
