WASHINGTON – Members of the House Freedom Caucus, a group comprised of the House’s most conservative lawmakers, voted in June to eject firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., from their circle.
But the lawmaker also kicked out one of the House’s best fundraisers.
Since entering the House in 2021 as a political bomb thrower who was unapologetic about her endorsements of conspiracy theories, Greene has become one of the House’s top fundraisers, bringing in enormous hauls of cash to support Republican candidates and, notably, other hardline conservatives.
With Greene gone, it is unclear how much animosity between her and the Freedom Caucus remains and the extent of how much the group will reap from her fundraising prowess.
Why was Marjorie Taylor Greene kicked out of the Freedom Caucus?
Greene was kicked out of the House Freedom Caucus in June over multiple grievances, Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., told NBC’s “Meet the Press NOW.” Greene has “consistently attacked other members of the Freedom Caucus in an irresponsible way,” he said.
“As a result of that she was kicked out of the Freedom Caucus, and she should not be a member,” Buck said last week.
Tensions between Greene and the Freedom Caucus appeared to reach a boiling point after Greene called another member of the group, Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., an expletive for allegedly copying her long-shot resolution to impeach President Joe Biden.
Publicly, the caucus has avoided discussing the matter. When reached for comment about Greene’s departure, a spokesperson for the caucus said “HFC does not comment on membership or internal process.”
The Freedom Caucus could miss Greene’s fundraising strength
Since entering the House, Greene emerged as one of the House’s strongest fundraisers. In just her first three months in Congress, Greene hauled in $3.2 million for her reelection campaign with over 100,000 individual donations, a shocking number for a freshman lawmaker. Today, Greene still remains one of the lower chamber’s best fundraisers. This year she raised over $1.1 million in the second fundraising quarter.
After Greene was ejected from the group, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., defended her and praised her conservative credentials.
“I think it’s a loss for the Freedom Caucus,” McCarthy told reporters.
Greene has slowly aligned herself with the Republican establishment, as one of McCarthy’s staunchest supporters during his slog of a pursuit for the speakership, which lasted 15 votes. This year, Greene donated $275,000 to House Republicans’ campaign arm and another $100,000 in a fundraising action.
Greene has largely avoided discussing her relationship with the Freedom Caucus, telling reporters she thinks she enjoys “being a free agent a lot better.”
And at least publicly, the Freedom Caucus members who have spoken about Greene’s exit expressed little worry over her departure.
“This wasn’t even a speed bump,” Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., told Politico after the vote.
