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Former Kansas Rep. Tim Huelskamp, the conservative who was ousted in his GOP primary last year, will become president of the Heartland Institute, a free-market think tank based just outside of Chicago, The Hill has learned.

Reached by phone on Wednesday, Huelskamp confirmed he will replace Joseph Bast, who has led the conservative and libertarian-leaning institute since it was founded in 1984.

Huelskamp, 48, will start at Heartland next month.

Its a really good fit, said Huelskamp, the former chairman of the Tea Party Caucus and a member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus.

His hiring means there will be no 2018 rematch between Huelskamp and the Chamber of Commerce-backed obstetrician, freshman Rep. Roger Marshall, who ousted him in last years GOP primary in Kansass 1st Congressional District.

A fifth-generation farmer, Huelskamp had also flirted with running for the neighboring House seat being vacated by retiring Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.).

Heartland has roughly 40 employees based at its headquarters in Arlington Heights, Ill., and hundreds of advisers around the country.

As the new Heartland president, Huelskamp said the think tank will continue pushing for eliminating Environmental Protection Agency regulations and challenging climate change alarmists like former President Obama and former Vice President Al GoreAl GoreTea Party favorite to lead conservative think tank Budowsky: Dems madder than hell Misreading lessons of an evolving electorate MORE; advocate for school choice and voucher programs; and offer assistance to states navigating ObamaCare and the current healthcare fight.

I have big shoes to fill given the tremendous leadership of Joe Bast and the Heartland team, Huelskamp said in the phone interview.

Huelskamp rode the Tea Party wave to Washington in 2010 and quickly emerged as a thorn in the side of House GOP leadership, particularly then-Speaker John BoehnerJohn BoehnerTea Party favorite to lead conservative think tank Chaffetz calls for ,500 legislator housing stipend GOP super-PAC promises big spending in 2018 MORE (R-Ohio).

After Huelskamp repeatedly bucked leaders on key votes, BoehnerJohn BoehnerTea Party favorite to lead conservative think tank Chaffetz calls for ,500 legislator housing stipend GOP super-PAC promises big spending in 2018 MORE ousted the Kansan from both the Budget and Agriculture committees. Huelskamp tried to get reappointed to the Agriculture panel but was unsuccessful. In 2016, his primary opponent backed by Kansas agricultural interests seized on the issue, arguing that Huelskamp was not properly representing his agriculture-heavy district and state.

His defeat last year created bad blood between Speaker Paul RyanPaul RyanJerry Springer: Trumps attacks beneath the dignity of any decent man The Memo: New GOP angst over Trump tweets NY Daily News: Trump attack on Brzezinski is humiliation for US MORE (R-Wis.) and Huelskamps allies in the Freedom Caucus, the same group that forced Boehner out of the Speakers office in 2015.

Ryan had helped Huelskamp win a Small Business subcommittee gavel and a seat on the influential Steering Committee. But Freedom leaders complained that Ryan had not done enough to stop the Chambers attacks on Huelskamp or reinstate him on the Agriculture panel, and threatened to retaliate against the Speaker.

Huelskamp now seems ready to move on. In a followup statement, Huelskamp said he was honored and excited to join Heartland.

Since I have already been successful at driving innovative policies at both the state and federal level, he said, I am confident that I can lead Heartland toward even greater success in promoting the cause of freedom in every state, and now in Washington, D.C.

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Tea Party favorite to lead conservative think tank | TheHill - The Hill