Mass Departures Threaten to Gut the House Freedom Caucus
For a group that prided itself on disruption and wielded heavy influence over the GOP agenda, the mass exodus of 2026 could mark the end of its decade-long run as Washington’s most disruptive faction.
The House Freedom Caucus, the loudest thorn in the side of Republican leadership, is staring down an identity crisis. With a wave of high-profile departures planned for 2026, the Congressional bloc could be gutted, leaving its future influence in serious doubt.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, the group’s intellectual force and most outspoken member, is abandoning his House seat to run for Texas attorney general. Barry Moore, R-Ala., is seeking a Senate seat. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., and Byron Donalds, R-Fla., are all running for governor. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., is considering the same move. Together, these exits could strip the caucus of its most recognizable names.
Inside the caucus, there is little nostalgia for some of those leaving.
A current Freedom Caucus member said Tuesday that he was contemplating dropping out of the group himself but has decided to stay on after having heard that Roy and other “attention seekers” who “hijacked” the caucus won’t be running for re-election to the House in 2026.
“Chip Roy is an intelligent guy. Legislatively, he knows his s—, but he’s a total freaking pain in the ass,” the lawmaker said.
Roy, for his part, embraced the criticism.
Asked to respond to that description, Roy accepted it as a “badge of honor” and quipped: “I might say the same thing. As somebody described as a frequent nuisance to leadership, that’s what I’m trying to accomplish, in terms of changing the game and making them respond to the broader electorate.”
Even some of their GOP colleagues are openly relieved.
“Not all Freedom Caucus are the same, but some have undermined the speaker at every step and divided the team,” said Don Bacon, R-Neb., a centrist swing-district member who is retiring after 2026. “Teams that work together get much more done and win.”
The Freedom Caucus, however, insists its legacy won’t disappear with the exits.
“While faces may change, our principles remain the same and will continue to echo through each legislative battle and every hard-won victory on Capitol Hill,” spokeswoman Anna Adamian said.
Roy echoed that sentiment, saying there is “new blood” ready to carry the fight.
“It’s got a lot of new blood and fresh members actively involved in the fights,” Roy said. “It’s a strong organization that goes deeper than any one individual. It’s got a long legacy that I’m not worried about in the slightest bit.”
But with so many of its leaders seeking promotions elsewhere, the caucus risks fading into irrelevance. For a group that prided itself on disruption and wielded heavy influence over the GOP agenda, the mass exodus of 2026 could mark the end of its decade-long run as Washington’s most disruptive faction.
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
Bye, Chip.
Not like they’ve managed to accomplish anything.
Living in Texas, whenever Chip Roy would stab leadership in the back in the name of ‘conservatism’ I would cringe and get more upset at his grandstanding. We actually have three good candidates for AG not counting Roy and any of them would be better. He was an aide to Ken Paxton and then worked to get him impeached, which wasted time, money and political capital. I don’t know why Ted Cruz is backing him, but that endorsement will cost Ted greatly.
Turn over is good. We don’t need 20 term Congressmen.
Instead of focusing on legislative wins with a narrow majority. Some from the Freedom Caucus believed their own legends. See camera, throw rhetorical fire bombs. Leadership is hard and requires the knowledge of when to fight and when to work to a consensus. Those who just seek attention are not leaders.