The dueling endorsements in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District by U.S. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH-04) and the political arm of the House Freedom Caucus (HFC), where Jordan remains a member after co-founding the caucus a decade ago, came more than a year after internal conflict reportedly led to the departure of one of Jordan’s longtime allies from the House Freedom Fund.
Previously the chairman of the HFC from 2015-2017, Jordan last week endorsed Matt Van Epps, the former Tennessee state official who also has the stamp of approval of former U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07).
The caucus’ political arm, the House Freedom Fund, instead endorsed State Representative Jody Barrett (R-Dickson), the second-term member of the Tennessee House who said recently that U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) needs “billionaires” writing “big, fat checks” to win reelection in 2026. HFC’s political arm reportedly spent over $90,000 to support Ogles in 2022.
While a Wednesday attempt by The Tennessee Star to contact Jordan’s campaign went unanswered prior to press time, the dueling endorsements come just over one year after internal conflict within the caucus reportedly led to the ousting of Jordan’s longtime political ally, Ray Yonkura, who was described as a member of Jordan’s “inner circle” in 2023, and served as his chief of staff as early as 2009.
Yonkura was “pushed aside” at the House Freedom Fund in June 2024, according to Punchbowl News, which noted the action came amid a recount in the Virginia Republican primary election of U.S. Representative Bob Good (R-VA-05), who led HFC until ultimately losing his reelection bid in July 2024.
During the meeting, which ultimately led to Yonkura’s departure, Jordan reportedly expressed concern about the caucus’ ability to support U.S. Representative Scott Perry (R-PA-10), who ultimately won reelection last year by less than 5,000 votes in a race with over 400,000 ballots cast.
The outlet additionally revealed its sources claimed that Good had paused the caucus’ use of Jordan’s name in fundraising materials, despite his past success at raising money. After Good was replaced as the caucus’ chairman, Jordan began actively soliciting donations from colleagues to support Perry, it was later reported.
A spokesman for HFC did not respond to an earlier request from The Star to comment on its endorsement process, including whether the caucus accommodated dueling endorsements between its members and those made through its political arm.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Jim Jordan” by Jim Jordan.
