By Moira Warburton
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Former President Donald Trump endorsed a primary election challenger to Republican Representative Bob Good, the chair of an influential House of Representatives caucus who backed a Trump opponent in this year's presidential primaries.
Trump endorsed Virginia state Senator John McGuire, a former Navy SEAL, against Good in the party's June 18 primary. Good, who has led the House Freedom Caucus since January, has had a rocky relationship with Trump since the congressman endorsed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in the primary.
"Bob Good is BAD FOR VIRGINIA, AND BAD FOR THE USA," Trump said in a social media post on Tuesday. "He was constantly attacking and fighting me until recently, when he gave a warm and 'loving' Endorsement - But really, it was too late."
The House Freedom Caucus, a group of hardline anti-institutionalist Republicans, has played an outsize role in the chamber since their party won a narrow majority in 2022.
Members of the group were instrumental in removing former Speaker Kevin McCarthy from office in October, a move that triggered weeks of bitter, highly public Republican infighting over a replacement.
Good has attempted to mend fences with Trump, even traveling to New York earlier this month to support the former president during his ongoing criminal trial.
After Trump's endorsement of McGuire, Good said in a statement he was confident he would be nominated again. "I have never been the choice of political power brokers in Washington," Good said.
Good won his district, which runs along Virginia's southern border with North Carolina east of the state capitol, Richmond, with 57% of the vote in 2022.
(Reporting by Moira Warburton in WashingtonEditing by Bill Berkrot and Cynthia Osterman)