Politics

Meadows confirms bid for Freedom Caucus chair

By Bill Moss, Published: November 30, 2016

U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows on Wednesday confirmed what the Washington press corps had been reporting for several weeks. He is officially running to chair the House Freedom Caucus, a Tea Party-oriented group that has sought to steer the Republican leadership to a more conservative agenda.

“The coming year will be a critical period for the Freedom Caucus, and I am humbled at the opportunity to speak with our members and hopefully earn their support for chairman," Meadows, who won a third term in the Nov. 8 election, said in a news release. "From day one since our founding almost two years ago, the mission of the Freedom Caucus has been to give a voice to the countless Americans who feel that Washington does not represent them. Our members are committed to developing and advancing a policy driven agenda that supports accountable and limited government, Constitutional rule of law, and principles that foster the liberty, safety, and prosperity of Americans. I look forward to hopefully earning the support of my colleagues and to building on the great work of my good friend, Jim Jordan, as we continue working to return our government to its rightful owner: the American people.”

Reports from Washington since before the election have said that Meadows has strong support among his Freedom Caucus colleagues and that he appeared to have a clear path if he ran for the chair's seat.