House Freedom Caucus elects Republican who voted to oust McCarthy as new leader

Rep. Bob Good was elected to Virginia's 5th Congressional District in 2020

We need a real leader, a real fighter: Rep. Bob Good

Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., who voted to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, tells ‘Your World’ that ‘nothing has changed’ for him.

The House Freedom Caucus elected a new chairman on Monday night, picking Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., as the hardline conservative group's leader for 2024.

Good was one of eight House Republicans who voted to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in early October.

"No comment tonight," Good told reporters while leaving a Freedom Caucus meeting just minutes before 10 p.m.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS ANTICIPATE VOTE TO FORMALIZE BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY 'SOON'

Bob Good speaks at newser

Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., was elected to be the new Freedom Caucus chairman for 2024 (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

He was similarly coy earlier in the evening after a closed-door House GOP conference meeting. Asked by Fox News Digital of his policy goals if he became chairman, he said, "I'll wait to talk about it after tonight."

Good is a conservative who was elected in 2020 to Virginia's red-leaning 5th Congressional District, which is mostly rural but includes part of Charlottesville.

He is expected to have significant sway over House GOP policy as Freedom Caucus chair, with the group wielding outsized influence so far in Republicans' razor-thin House majority.

JOHNSON'S FIRST WEEKS AS SPEAKER MARKED BY GOP INFIGHTING – AND SOME VICTORIES

The group's current chairman is Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., a close ally of former President Trump's. Leaving the Monday night meeting, Perry was asked by Fox News Digital whether he had any advice for Good.

Scott Perry

Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., is the group's current chairman

"Be true and be bold," Perry said, adding that he hoped Good would "lead better" as his successor. 

Good's relationship with leadership has, so far, been more fraught than Perry's, as he was one of 20 House Republicans who forced McCarthy to go through 15 rounds of voting before winning the speaker's gavel in January, months before finally voting to oust him.

KEVIN MCCARTHY, MATT GAETZ TRADE JABS AS FIERCE RIVALRY CONTINUES: HE 'BELONGS IN JAIL'

Perry said of that difference, "Past chairs, Jordan, Meadows, Biggs, kind of [grew] into the position. It's not just about you and your own desires. You're representing the group, the brand, and so you have to be open to maybe things that you wouldn't be otherwise."

Kevin McCarthy

Good was one of eight House Republicans who voted to oust ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

He would not say whether the friction with McCarthy would be a liability for the group's negotiating power going forward.

"We're all in this together. So we, you know, get over our personal differences and disagreements and focus on the country," he said instead.

Elizabeth Elkind is a reporter for Fox News Digital focused on Congress as well as the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and politics. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Authored by Elizabeth Elkind via FoxNews December 11th 2023