DALLAS — Most Americans do not know how their state legislatures operate or who represents them at their respective capitols around the country, but roughly 200 conservative operatives and state lawmakers are meeting here this weekend to change that.
According to a 2018 Johns Hopkins University survey, Americans pay their state legislatures more than $1 trillion dollars annually to address issues including education, health care, taxes and crime. But nearly half of the 1,500 people polled did not know the most costly budget item in their states.
Fewer knew which state issues were the most controversial, less than 20% could name their state legislators, and one-third of respondents could not name their governor.
The State Freedom Caucus Foundation's summit this week in Dallas, where a dozen state Freedom Caucuses representing their legislatures' most conservative Republicans are meeting, is showcasing strategies for their lawmakers and state directors to use the Freedom Caucus brand to amplify to their constituents the issues and actions in their state governments.
Justin Ouimette, vice president of Government Affairs of the State Freedom Caucus Network, told The Washington Times that part of the network's mission is to highlight the work performed by state legislators.
"State constitutions have awesome powers. Billions of dollars move through states, both from the federal government and from state-level taxes. They have a great deal of responsibility," Mr. Ouimette said.
"Part of our mission has been to remind people that they have folks that represent them, not just in Washington, but in their own hometowns, in their own state capitols."
Mr. Ouimette said there has already been success with several state Freedom Caucuses that have legislators who are learning to leverage their power and "call out bad behavior that has existed without oversight or without remark for decades, and to work on work on corrections and on policy solutions."
South Carolina Freedom Caucus state Director Evan Newman says voters in his state know who Freedom Caucus state lawmakers are because they began publicizing how fellow GOP legislators were voting.
"A lot of the RINO (Republican In Name Only) members, they like to go unnoticed," he said.
"But our members can't walk through a Walgreens or a Publix without being stopped and asked, 'You're that Freedom Caucus guy. You're a part of that group that fights against all the crony capitalism and big spending bills and you’re pro-life?' All that sort of stuff."
According to Mr. Newman, in the last two years he has seen a drastic difference in how people in his state see lawmakers in the South Carolina Freedom Caucus.
"I think the electorate in South Carolina are already pretty engaged, but we've noticed a stark difference. Even in my short time in politics in South Carolina, the awareness to the brand is astronomical," he said. "There's probably close to 20 Freedom Caucus members in South Carolina, and I would say all 20 have higher name ID than some statewide elected officials."
Some Republicans, Mr. Newman said, in the state openly campaigned as Freedom Caucus members, but for various reasons were turned away.
"We had to tell them that they couldn't be members, mostly because we didn't know if they were going to stand with us in the tough battles," he said. He said South Carolina Republicans expelled Freedom Caucus members from the GOP caucus during the 2023 legislative session, attempted to force them to sign a loyalty oath, attempted to restrict them from saying anything negative about other Republicans, and banned them from posting photos of the voting board, among other punishments.
"The thing with the Freedom Caucus members, anybody can go vote the right way,” he said. “It's about being loud outside of session, doing stuff for your constituents. You're a full-time legislator, even if you're technically only part-time."
Georgia Freedom Caucus Legislative Director Blake Bassham said one of their members, Sen. Colton Moore, made national news when he was indefinitely suspended from the Republican caucus in the state Senate for opposing his plan to impeach Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis for indicting former President Donald Trump.
"Meanwhile, crime is rampant and they're not enforcing violent crimes," Mr. Bassham said.
State Freedom Caucus members look forward to learning more ways to expand their influence and are not concerned about backlash when they are accused of "political terrorism" or causing "unnecessary tension and hostility."
Montana State Freedom Caucus Director Darrin Gaub believes that is an indication they are doing the "right thing."
"If you weren't concerned about the work we were doing at the state level and local level as a Freedom Caucus within the different states, then you wouldn't bother us," he said. "The fact that you're coming after us so hard, whoever that person is coming after us, is proof that we're doing the right thing."
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