The Liberty Caucus is a Congressional caucus consisting of conservative Republican members of the United States House of Representatives. It hosts a bimonthly luncheon in Washington, D.C. The group was founded by Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan and joined by Republican members who wanted to "focus on specific issues like economic freedom, individual liberty, and following the Constitution". The caucus has also been characterized as "conservative with a libertarian emphasis" and associated with the Tea Party movement.
Prior to the formal creation of the House Liberty Caucus, Rep. Ron Paul hosted a luncheon in Washington, D.C. every Thursday for a group of Republican members of the United States House of Representatives, that he called the "Liberty Caucus." The group, in close association with the political action committee the Republican Liberty Caucus, "support[ed] individual rights, limited government and free enterprise." Past attendees of this luncheon include:
Michele Bachmann of MinnesotaRoscoe Bartlett of Maryland – Defeated in 2012 general electionChris Cannon of Utah – Lost renomination in 2008Jo Ann Davis of Virginia – Died in 2007Jimmy Duncan of TennesseeJeff Flake of Arizona – Ran successfully for the US Senate in 2012, currently US Senator from ArizonaTrent Franks of ArizonaScott Garrett of New JerseyVirgil Goode of Virginia – Defeated in 2008 general electionJohn Hostettler of Indiana – Defeated in 2006 general electionJack Kingston of GeorgiaJeff Miller of FloridaMarilyn Musgrave of Colorado – Defeated in 2008 general electionButch Otter of Idaho – Ran successfully for Idaho gubernatorial election, 2006, currently Governor of IdahoRon Paul of Texas (former Chairman) – Ran unsuccessfully for the US Presidency in 2012Richard Pombo of California – Defeated in 2006 general electionBill Posey of FloridaDenny Rehberg of Montana – Ran unsuccessfully for the US Senate in 2012John Shadegg of Arizona – Retired in 2010Tom Tancredo of Colorado – Retired in 2008Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania – Ran successfully for the US Senate in 2010, currently US Senator from PennsylvaniaJoe Walsh of Illinois – Defeated in 2012 general electionZach Wamp of Tennessee – Ran unsuccessfully for the nomination for the Tennessee gubernatorial election, 2010Dave Weldon of Florida – Retired in 2008After the 112th United States Congress began and Ron Paul switched his focus to his presidential campaign, his luncheon was replaced by a formal congressional member organization called the House Liberty Caucus and chaired by Justin Amash. In June 2014, the caucus supported Raul Labrador's campaign for House Majority Leader.
Past members of the current organization include:
Steve Stockman of Texas – Ran unsuccessfully for the US Senate in 2014Kerry Bentivolio of Michigan – Lost renomination in 2014Paul Broun of Georgia – Ran unsuccessfully for the US Senate in 2014Jason Chaffetz of UtahCurt Clawson of Florida – Retired in 2016Scott Garrett of New Jersey – Defeated in 2016 general electionTom Graves of GeorgiaVicky Hartzler of MissouriTim Huelskamp of Kansas – Lost renomination in 2016Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming – Retired in 2016Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina – Appointed as Director of the Office of Management and Budget in 2017Cathy McMorris Rodgers of WashingtonMatt Salmon of Arizona – Retired in 2016Marlin Stutzman of Indiana – Ran unsuccessfully for the US Senate in 2016Tim Walberg of MichiganRob Woodall of Georgia