The House Freedom Caucus will meet in a few weeks to choose a new leader just before the November election after their current chairman lost his Republican primary in Virginia. Congressman Bob Good pulled off the impressive feat of alienating both President Trump and Speaker McCarthy before his race was inundated with outside money.

Mr. Good has led the Freedom Caucus since 2024, but promised that he would step down if he lost his Republican primary this year. He was one of the eight members to vote to remove Mr. McCarthy from the speakership in October, alienating a huge number of his GOP colleagues. He also endorsed Governor DeSantis for president against Trump, which led the former president to weigh into the GOP primary for state senator John McGuire, who bested Mr. Good. 

A spokeswoman for Mr. Good did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

A clear frontrunner to lead the Freedom Caucus has not yet emerged, nor have any candidates stepped up since Mr. Good lost his recount bid on Thursday. No one challenged him for the chairmanship when he ran in 2023. 

One of the most likely candidates to jump into the race could be another backer of Mr. DeSantis, Congressman Chip Roy, who has seen his star rise rapidly in Washington since getting elected in 2018. He sits on the powerful Rules Committee and is the chairman of the Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee on the Constitution. 

He previously served as chief of staff for Senator Cruz, and has been a pain for Speaker Johnson on several key votes — something that would help his candidacy should he run for the chairmanship. 

Serving as the leader of the Freedom Caucus has been somewhat of a springboard for ambitious House Republicans. The founding chairman, Congressman Jim Jordan, now leads the Judiciary Committee. Congressman Mark Meadows was plucked from the chairmanship of the Freedom Caucus to be Trump’s White House chief of staff. 

When Mr. Good ran for the top job, only one member expressed concerns. Congressman Warren Davidson, an Army Ranger who succeeded Speaker Boehner in Congress, said Mr. Good’s tactics and political style would “impair” the group’s ability to win conservative policy from House leadership, according to a memo obtained by Axios. 

Mr. Davidson himself could run for the position, and would likely have a key ally and powerful backer in Mr. Jordan. The two men have been close for years, and Mr. Davidson was the lawmaker who first nominated Mr. Jordan for speaker in 2023. He, along with Messrs. Jordan and Roy, considered making a motion to vacate when Mr. Johnson allowed the Intelligence Committee — not Mr. Jordan — write the warrantless surveillance reauthorization bill. 

The House is out of session until mid-September, and Mr. Good has yet to officially resign his position as chairman. When they do return, they will have just two-and-a-half weeks to choose a new leader before they depart for the October recess in the lead-up to election day.