The congressman who succeeded former House Speaker John Boehner is now joining the group that led the push to oust the ex-speaker.
Ohio Rep. Warren Davidson on Thursday joined the House Freedom Caucus, the group largely responsible for pushing out Boehner last year.
The Freedom Caucus, which supported Davidson’s bid in a crowded GOP field to fill Boehner’s seat earlier this month, voted earlier this week to extend an invitation to him to join the group. The caucus, which includes roughly 40 conservatives, has become an influential force in the House and has worked to urge leaders to include their priorities in the House agenda.
Many members in the group clashed with Boehner, and Rep. Mark Meadows, R-North Carolina, offered a resolution on the House floor to remove him from his position as speaker. That resolution never got a vote last summer, but unrest among his own members ultimately led to Boehner’s resignation the day after Pope Francis made his historic visit to the Capitol last fall.
Davidson, a former Army Ranger, was sworn in by House Speaker Paul Ryan on Thursday and made his first floor speech, where he thanked campaign volunteers and said his first day on the job was like “drinking from a firehose.”