This year, a new force emerged in conservative politics. Frustrated with one-party rule and a paucity of real options, Republican voters essentially founded new parties in 12 states without facing the challenge of gaining mainstream voting rights. State Freedom Caucus figures prominently in Republican primaries and legislatures, making it harder for pseudo-conservatives to mislead voters. Despite facing fierce opposition from both sides of the one-party system, these caucuses not only survived their first primary cycle, they thrived.
For years, few voters in Republican-leaning states realized that their Republican politicians were failing to leverage the supermajorities they were given and thus betraying them to liberal special interests. Republican governors and legislative leaders thrived on anti-Democrat rhetoric and provincial performance aesthetics, betraying voters on important issues. But that changed when a united group of lawmakers, backed by a powerful network of policy experts, communications strategists, and campaign professionals, began to expose these frauds through unpleasant legislative votes. State Freedom Caucus Network.
The Freedom Caucus has cracked a code in the state capital that conservatives have struggled to decipher for years in Washington.
Over the past two years, state Freedom Caucus members have aggressively challenged the party establishment. They have forced votes on popular conservative bills that had been ignored, sabotaged party priorities, blocked budget votes, and exposed the Governor's liberal appointments and policies. In response, party leaders have attacked the Freedom Caucus through local media, expelled members from states like South Carolina and Georgia, and stripped some of their statehouse parking spaces in Missouri. Many of these caucus members, including newcomers, faced tough renomination battles in primaries this spring and summer against better-funded and better-organized opponents.
Given the party establishment's money and an uninterested and often ignorant conservative media, few would have expected the Freedom Caucus to win heading into the 2024 primaries. These caucuses, held primarily in rural states where congressional elections are often cheap, were up against huge amounts of money being thrown at them to defeat them. But now that the primaries are over, the results heading into next year's congressional session are both surprising and transformative.
Despite losing money in nearly every election and posing more of a threat to the Republican establishment than the Democratic Party, 101 of the 106 officially recognized members of state Freedom Caucus who ran for reelection will run again next year. Only a few other unofficial members lost. Not only did the Freedom Caucus withstand fierce opposition, it gained 50 new members and several potential allies, and defeated 29 liberal incumbents, including veteran chairs and floor leaders. Many Republican-leaning state legislatures will be significantly more conservative next year, with some seeing major changes.
Wyoming Rep. John Baer (R) speaks at a podium with other state Freedom Caucus chairs and vice chairs in Dallas on September 7.Photo: Daniel Horowitz/BlazeNews
In Wyoming, conservatives gained a majority in the 62-seat legislature, increasing their seats from 26 to 37. They ousted eight incumbents with nearly 100 years of combined experience. Governor Mark Gordon (R), his wife, and their allies spent nearly $400,000 on nearly every sitting member of the Freedom Caucus, an unusual amount for a local state legislative election, but only three conservatives were successful in unseating them. Former progressive chairman Albert Somers (R) lost his state senate race to a Freedom Caucus-aligned conservative. The Freedom Caucus is now poised to elect one of its own, current House Majority Leader Rep. Chip Nieman, the first Freedom Caucus chair in the nation.
South Dakota is another state where the Freedom Caucus may soon elect a House speaker. The June 10 primary was a turning point for local ranchers who were outraged by their land rights being threatened by proponents of a Green New Deal-inspired carbon capture pipeline. Voters ousted 14 liberal incumbents from both chambers of Congress, including the entire House Majority Leadership Committee and the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Of the 33 Freedom Caucus candidates who ran for Congress, 24 were elected, and not a single Freedom Caucus incumbent running for reelection lost, despite facing well-funded opponents.
In South Carolina, after the Freedom Caucus was expelled from the Republican caucus in the House of Representatives, a fierce battle raged between the two factions. Nearly every member of the Freedom Caucus faced off against well-funded primary challengers. The Palmetto Truth Project spent millions of dollars on 11 Freedom Caucus members, an amount unheard of in smaller races. But no challenger was able to beat a caucus member by more than 10 points. The Freedom Caucus did not lose a single member, but did manage to defeat the incumbent Deputy Majority Leader and the Chairman of the Labor and Commerce Committee.
The contrast between state and federal primaries couldn't be starker. Nationally, conservatives failed to unseat any wayward incumbents, and even lost the Freedom Caucus chairman in Virginia when Rep. Bob Good narrowly lost. Trump support played a role, but money and incumbents always have a bigger impact in federal elections than in state races. But at the state level, the Freedom Caucus was so clearly salient that voters understood what was at stake and who was on which side.
For years, liberal Republican governors and their legislative allies have manipulated the annual session to expand the permanent bureaucracy while maintaining a semblance of conservative governance. By opposing bills and forcing votes on amendments, and publicly exposing Republican betrayal on key issues, the Freedom Caucus created an environment for successful primaries. They cracked the code in state capitals that conservatives have struggled to crack for years in Washington.
Earlier this month, the State Freedom Caucus Network, an umbrella organization that helps staff and integrate state caucuses, held an awards ceremony in Dallas to showcase this year's accomplishments and plan strategies for next year. South Carolina was admitted They stood united in the face of adversity and were recognized as the most effective Freedom Caucus.
It is this unity of purpose and results-based focus that will see conservatives win, potentially in half the country, even in the worst-case scenario on Nov. 5.
