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Club PAC Endorses Rubio in FL-Sen Press Release Club for Growth PAC Endorses Marco Rubio for U.S. SenateFormer Florida House Speaker 'the Real Deal,' Crist the 'Wrong Direction' WASHINGTON - Club for Growth PAC today endorsed Marco Rubio in the 2010 U.S. Senate race in Florida. "Marco Rubio is the real deal, one of the brightest young stars in American politics today, and a proven champion of economic liberty," said Club President Chris Chocola. "He is a dynamic spokesman for the principles of limited government and economic freedom, and he will make a fantastic Senator." Rubio served in the Florida...

The RINO hunt continues. As many of us recall, Gov. Charlie Crist (R-Fla.) warmly embraced Obama's stimulus plan. Well, yesterday on CNN, apparently after examining the election results, Crist began the walkback. Too late Charlie, we've got your number.

After pumping more than $1 million into an upstate New York House race to elect the Conservative Party’s Doug Hoffman, the Club for Growth is on the hunt again. Chris Chocola, president of the conservative political action committee, made it clear the PAC is looking for more GOP targets who don’t embrace the Club’s limited-government approach. Priority No. 1 is likely to be the Senate contest in Florida, where Republican Gov. Charlie Crist, who embraced President Barack Obama’s stimulus package, is being challenged by former State House Speaker Marco Rubio. . . . . . Beyond Florida, other establishment Republicans...

Lots of people want credit for Dede Scozzafava dropping out today. I feel like I have had a view from the inside. Lots of people are trying to give me credit for rallying the base since last July for Hoffman, but from my vantage point, there are four that are being overshadowed by Pataki, Pawlenty, and Palin, but who genuinely and truly deserve a hell of a lot more credit than most. Please though, remember these four: 1. Susan B. Anthony List. First in and last out, they have been under the radar for months. Before the tea party activists....

I’m hearing that the NRCC is pulling out of NY-23. It’s coming from a credible source familiar with the operation inside of the beltway Committee. That being said I just reached out to Matthew Burns, Spokesman for the Scozzafava campaign, who denied this claim. He said it was “False.” Protecting the candidate or categorically true – we’ll let this flesh itself out in the public. I’ll also avoid giving you the analysis of what this could mean for now. Look for links in the comments. UPDATE: I’m on the ground and I have personal confirmation from an additional, credible source...

Pretty good ad.I think just about any voter will understand THIS.LOL! The name "Scozzafava" (RINO), is not even brought up!!

Club for Growth and Club for Growth PAC will launch a $300,000 television ad campaign tomorrow in the special election for New York's 23rd Congressional District. The campaign follows the Club for Growth PAC's Sept. 28 endorsement of Doug Hoffman, a Republican running on the Conservative ticket, over liberal Republican Dede Scozzafava and Democrat Bill Owens. (See the video of their ad after the jump.)

Washington - Club for Growth PAC today endorsed Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman in the special election for New York's 23rd Congressional District. Hoffman, a Republican, decided to run after local GOP leaders hand-picked liberal Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava as their nominee. “After months of runaway spending, bailouts, and record deficits, the last thing we need in Congress is another rubber stamp for Nancy Pelosi and the liberal Democrats,” said Club President Chris Chocola. “Doug Hoffman is the only candidate in this race who will stand up for taxpayers and fight to protect our freedoms in Washington.” Hoffman, a certified public...

Washington - The Federal Election Commission voted today to allow the Club for Growth to contact thousands of contributors to Senator Arlen Specter's campaign about his policy of providing refunds to those who supported his reelection before he switched parties from Republican to Democrat in April. "The Commission's decision is good news for thousands of Americans who contributed to Specter's campaign to elect a Republican, not to strengthen Harry Reid's Democratic majority," said Club Executive Director David Keating. "We look forward to helping Senator Specter make good on his commitment."

The Club’s Comrade of the Month Award is given to the politician or public figure who best embodies big-government policies and restrictions on economic growth.

The Club for Growth announced their finalists for the June 2009 Comrade of the Month Award. Every month, the Club gives out the "Comrade of the Month" award to the person who best lives up to the policies of big-government redistribution and restrictions on economic freedom. Throughout each month, they encourage anyone to send us a nominee. You can do so here. Who qualifies as a nominee? Mostly public officials, but frankly, it can be anybody who supports and enables the kind of anti-growth policies that would cripple our economy and send us reeling into poverty.

TAMPA - The Club for Growth, a conservative political committee known for spending big bucks in Republican primaries, is still interested in Marco Rubio's challenge to Charlie Crist but wary of his lack of fundraising success so far, its director said. "It's less than what we'd been hearing would be announced," executive director David Keating said. He said the group will still be watching the Republican primary race for the U.S. Senate and considering whether to intervene to support Rubio.

The Club for Growth, a conservative anti-tax group, is considering running ads in the Republican Party's Senate primary race against Florida Gov. Charlie Crist for supporting higher state taxes and President Obama's $787 billion economic stimulus spending package. Mr. Crist's opponent for the Republican Party's nomination next year is former state Speaker of the House Marco Rubio, a young conservative running on cutting government spending and taxes who recently met here with the Club for Growth, which has a strong reputation for defeating liberal and moderate Republicans in party primaries with its aggressive ad campaigns. "We recently interviewed Marco Rubio...

When Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter switched parties two months ago, he said he would issue contribution refunds "upon request." Now the Club for Growth, the conservative political group that is a longtime Specter foe, wants to help any disgruntled Republican donors take now-Democrat Specter up on his offer. The Club is asking the Federal Election Commission (FEC) if it can send a letter or make a telephone call to Specter's donors informing them that they can ask his campaign for a contribution refund. The Club would use the donor lists that Specter's campaign has filed with the FEC. Those documents...

The Club interviewed Rubio on Monday, and Executive Director David Keating said it was "impressed." Donors have to be skeptical of Rubio's chances, and a Club endorsement would provide him both money and legitimacy. "We are very concerned about the two major tax increases Charlie Crist recently signed and believe there's no excuse for his active support of the Obama big-government 'stimulus' spending bill," Keating said. "We are actively considering the race, but have made no decision yet." The organization, which makes a habit of challenge the GOP establishment in primaries, is dancing around the issue for now. While it...

WASHINGTON — Although Chris Chocola isn't in Congress anymore, he's here in the fight for a Republican Congress — his brand of Republican. Chocola, the Elkhart County Republican who represented Indiana's 2nd Congressional District for two terms before losing to Democrat Joe Donnelly in 2006, now is president of the Club for Growth, a conservative group that targets Republicans it regards as too wishy-washy moderate on taxation and government expansion. He is in the fight for the soul of the GOP. "I never thought I'd be doing the weekly commute again, raising funds again," Chocola says during an interview in...

Pennsylvania Democrats are likely to mistrust Sen. Arlen Specter because he changed parties and "broke his word," Republican Pat Toomey said today. "Sen. Specter has introduced a huge question about whether he can be trusted," said Toomey, the leading Republican candidate for Specter's Senate seat. Specter jumped to the Democratic Party last month. "He crisscrossed the commonwealth repeatedly insisting he would not leave the (Republican) Party and that he would stay in the party to the end, and it was vitally important to retain 41 (GOP) votes to provide a check on otherwise unlimited Democratic control," Toomey told reporters after...

Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter's switch to the Democratic Party underscores the clout of Club For Growth, a conservative group that targets Republicans it brands insufficiently committed to low taxes and small government. The move also has inflamed a debate within the party: Are the group's tactics good or bad for Republicans? [welcome to the club] Mr. Specter fingered Club For Growth as the key factor behind his decision, saying he would have lost the Republican primary to a Club-backed rival. His decision has prompted some Republicans to turn on the organization, saying it backs those who are so conservative that...

Jack Kemp didn't come up with the name for our group, but indirectly he did. He played a crucial role in the late 70s and early 80s in educating the public about the importance of economic growth and supply-side economics. He was generous with his time in support of the goals and work of the Club for Growth, for which we are forever grateful. Jack Kemp was unique and will be greatly missed by the pro-growth cause. Here is a special supplement to the Daily News on some of the best articles written about, or by, Jack Kemp.

Arlen Specter's party switch has reignited the debate over the GOP's mission: a conservative party vs. a big tent coalition including liberal Republicans ("moderates" in media-speak). Five AT writers have addressed the topic, taking rather different positions. Richard Baehr argues for the big tent approach: We need a party that can win legislative elections in the Northeast, the suburbs, and other areas where the social conservative vote comes nowhere near a majority. Putting GOP moderates in the House and Senate from those states or districts where they are the only kind who can win, does help. There has been a...

Arlen Specter's party switch has reignited the debate over the GOP's mission: a conservative party vs. a big tent coalition including liberal Republicans ("moderates" in media-speak). Five AT writers have addressed the topic, taking rather different positions. Richard Baehr argues for the big tent approach: We need a party that can win legislative elections in the Northeast, the suburbs, and other areas where the social conservative vote comes nowhere near a majority. Putting GOP moderates in the House and Senate from those sates or districts where they are the only kind who can win, does help. There has been a...

The first serious salvo shot in the Republican political civil war has been fired by moderates at the Club for Growth. The battle lines were drawn when Arlen Specter himself singled out that group in his explanation for his switch to the Democratic party.

Jim DeMint was the only United States Senator to earn a perfect 100% score on a pro-growth economic scorecard, according to data released yesterday by the Club for Growth, a leading fiscal conservative advocacy group. DeMint led the U.S. Senate with his perfect voting record, while South Carolina’s “other” Senator, Lindsey Graham, was among the most liberal, anti-growth Republicans - scoring a paltry 52%. Meanwhile, in the U.S. House, Rep. Gresham Barrett’s recent bailout vote may have cost him his perfect record. Barrett typically resides at or near the top of the Club’s rankings, but this year he scored a...

Sen. John Cornyn says Republican Sen. Arlen Specter is the GOP’s “best bet” to keep his Pennsylvania Senate seat from falling into Democrats’ hands. “As I survey the political landscape of the upcoming 2010 elections,” Cornyn wrote in a letter released by his office Tuesday, “it's clear we need more candidates that fit their states. While I doubt Arlen could win an election in my home state of Texas, I am certain that I could not get elected in Pennsylvania. I believe that Senator Specter is our best bet to keep this Senate seat in the GOP column. A vote...

Pat Toomey resigned yesterday as president of the anti-tax Club for Growth, clearing the decks for his expected primary challenge to Sen. Arlen Specter (R., Pa.). The advocacy group said in a statement that Toomey was leaving to "pursue other opportunities." Former Rep. Chris Chocola (R., Ind.) will be the group's new president. A former congressman from the Lehigh Valley, Toomey has been acting like a Senate candidate for weeks, traveling the state and criticizing Specter's recent votes in favor of federal economic-stimulus and bailout spending. Specter, meanwhile, has aired TV ads highlighting Toomey's past as a Wall Street derivatives...

Senator Mitch McConnell and Rep. John Boehner have a tough two years ahead of them. For the second election cycle in a row, conservative-leaning voters gave the Republican party an ultimatum: Shape up or ship out. And now the leaders of the GOP better deliver if they want 2010 to go any differently. They can start by changing business as usual in the House and Senate. In the House of Representatives, John Boehner should use his influence and leadership position to appoint Rep. Jeff Flake to the Appropriations Committee. Flake fans may recall the Arizona representative’s pursuit of an appropriations...

September 29, 2008 Brian Wesbury on the Bailout Vote Andrew Roth When it comes to understanding the economy, it's always smart to find out what economist Brian Wesbury is thinking. Here's his reaction (PDF) to today's vote in the House and the subsequent market decline. I highlighted what I thought were very strong points. Since the subprime crisis first became evident, we have steadfastly believed the US would avoid a recession. And, at least so far, it has. But with today’s vote, two things have happened. First, Congress finally said enough already with the knee-jerk responses to the crisis by...

Washington – With the recent publication of the GOP Convention lineup, the Club for Growth was disappointed to see the absence of the party’s most steadfast elected economic conservatives. With the Republican Party’s brand in shambles, it is important for the Party to showcase those leaders who are currently in office fighting to preserve the limited-government, free-market principles the GOP used to stand for. In the Senate, Tom Coburn and Jim DeMint have waged a two-man war on wasteful spending. In the House of Representatives, conservative leaders like Jeff Flake (AZ-06), John Shadegg (AZ-03), Jeb Hensarling (TX-05), Mike Pence (IN-06),...

The conservative anti-tax group Club for Growth said Wednesday that Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) has evolved into the kind of vice presidential candidate it could get behind if Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) should tap him. The group argued that Cantor has been “consistently strong in several economic policy areas” and, after a start in the “key area” of government spending that was “less strong,” the Club for Growth now thinks that Cantor “ranks among the most pro-growth members in the House.” “Over the past two years, Rep. Cantor has been one of the few Republicans to come to grips with...

If you want to know how out of touch Congress is on the issue of wasteful spending, listen to Florida Rep. John Mica defend his pork projects: "There's no way in hell I would support banning earmarks. That's our job, getting elected and making decisions." Mr. Mica is the most powerful Republican on the Transportation Committee. The idea that bringing home federal dollars is integral to a politician's job and essential to getting re-elected is a favorite of Republicans and Democrats alike. Three months ago, Hillary Clinton told the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, "I'm very proud of my earmarks. It's one...

House conservatives are renewing their fight to unilaterally ban earmarks for a year within the Republican Party. House GOP leadership has also renewed their own version of an earmark ban, but it's woefully diluted -- it is contingent on Democrats playing along. Frankly, that's too little, too late. But thanks to Jeb Hensarling, Jeff Flake, and the other RSC members who are pushing for an earmark ban now, I'm confident that we'll see a moratorium before the election. I've been told that they have the votes needed (50) to receive a conference-wide vote. This will force leadership to make a...

Today, the Club for Growth Political Action Committee endorses Alaska Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell in his bid to unseat Republican Rep. Don Young in the state's August primary. The reason for the endorsement is simple. Mr. Parnell is a solid conservative who led the fight for lower taxes and spending in the state legislature, and joined Gov. Sarah Palin in pushing for reform in the state. The man he is hoping to replace isn't economically conservative in the least. Mr. Young is actually a poster child for what has gone wrong with the Republican Party in Washington. Over his 35...

Without a doubt, the Republican primary for California's Fourth Congressional District was the highest profile legislative race taking place in yesterday's statewide elections in California. Whether you look at how the race shaped up locally, or how it was covered Inside The Beltway, the battle between conservative State Senator Tom McClintock and moderate former U.S. Representative Doug Ose was truly looked to as an election-day indicator of where the heart and soul of the GOP was, and whether Republicans want to see change in direction that their party has taken in the United States Capitol. Despite the massive financial advantage...

Hampton,Va.(HFR:WASHINGTON) A conservative, free-market advocacy group will begin airing ads this week pressing Senate Republicans and Democrats to vote against a bill that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Club for Growth wants to scuttle a bill by Sens. Joe Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut, and John Warner, R-Va., that the Senate is scheduled to begin debating next month. Despite the ad campaign, the bill seems to lack the votes needed to overcome a filibuster. With $250,000 in radio and television spots, the Club for Growth is targeting Republican Sens. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina and Lamar Alexander...

The Club for Growth Political Action Committee has long been attacked for intervening in Republican primaries and targeting the party's most economically liberal incumbents. In 2000, Pennsylvania Rep. Jim Greenwood called the Club "cannibals." When the Club ran ads against Ohio Sen. George Voinovich and Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe for resisting President Bush's 2003 tax cut, Karl Rove deemed the ads "counterproductive." And Newt Gingrich, the man who ushered in a conservative Republican majority in 1994, once denounced the Club. "Their strategy is explicitly wrong," he said. "The key is to elect more Republicans and have a bigger majority and...

Washington - Today, the Club for Growth released its 2007 annual scorecard, awarding the Defender of Economic Freedom award to six senators and forty-nine representatives who scored a 90 or above on the Club's scorecard.... "These top-scoring members of Congress are staunch defenders of American taxpayers," said Club for Growth President Pat Toomey. "Their votes are critical to lowering taxes, cutting wasteful spending, and promoting economic growth for all Americans. The Club for Growth scorecard allows taxpayers to see how their senators and representatives are performing in Congress and find out who is truly fighting for pro-growth, limited-government policies...." The...

McCain is right on Free Trade.Conservatives rightly have many fears over John McCain. However, it is noteworthy that on certain issues — health care, earmarks, agricultural subsidies, and the subprime situation ("no bailouts!") to name a few — he is notably superior to our current president.The Club for Growth today released this statement on his free trade policy, which is also meritorious:  Washington – The Club for Growth commends Senator John McCain for calling for a new free trade agreement with the European Union. Currently, the United States and the European Union have low tariffs on most manufactured goods traded between...

While John McCain has risen to the top of the heap among contenders for the Republican presidential nomination, Focus on the Family founder James Dobson remains adamant that he will not support McCain’s bid for the White House. Dobson, one of the nation’s most influential evangelical Christians, declared more than a year ago that he wouldn't support McCain under any circumstances, saying McCain didn't support traditional marriage values. A Dobson spokesman told the New York Times’ David Kirkpatrick Wednesday that he stood by that position, and as a matter of conscience could never vote for the Arizona Senator. According to...

In a move that could alter the outcome of the Republican primary in the race to replace retiring Sen. Pete Domenici (R), the Club for Growth announced Wednesday that it was endorsing Rep. Steve Pearce (R) over Rep. Heather Wilson (R).

Club for Growth goes after McCain TRIBUNE-REVIEW by Salena Zito Posted January 24, 2008 10 :38 PM BOCA RATON, Fla. -- During the debate, the Club for Growth sent out an e-mail criticizing one of John McCain’s answers. The e-mail highlighted McCain's statement that he voted against the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts “because I knew, unless we had spending under control, we would face a disaster.” The e-mail began: “There is one problem with this statement: It’s not entirely true. In 2001, Senator McCain stole a page out of Ted Kennedy’s class-warfare playbook, dec

Duncan Hunter is a man of integrity, and wouldn’t endorse Huckabee if he thought it would lead to McCain winning the nomination. Sometimes the most obvious explanation is the best one. Duncan Hunter endorsed Huckabee because Huckabee is the most conservative candidate left. Including on immigration. And he endorsed Huckabee because he thinks Huckabee still has a chance to win this thing. They spent a lot of time together, and Hunter knows Huckabee’s character. He also knows Huckabee has, like many Republicans, become much more aware of the scope of the illegal immigration problem and the required solutions. Huckabee is...

Question: What does $585,000 buy you? Answer: It bought Mitt Romney backers a smear job against Mike Huckabee orchestrated by Beltway Insiders. The Club for Growth has an affiliated 527 group, Club for Growth.net, running anti-Mike Huckabee ads in early primary states. - At least $585,000 in contributions from Mitt Romney financial backers. - Club for Growth has spent $750,000 against Governor Huckabee in Iowa, South Carolina and Michigan. Here are donors that have donated both to Club for Growth.net* and Mitt Romney: Name: John Childs** Contribution to Beltway Group $100,000 on 11/16/07 $100,000 on 12/31/07 Contribution to Mitt Romney...

Shades of Hillary's VRWC . . . Mike Huckabee went on Morning Joe today and toyed with suggesting a "conspiracy" composed of the "Washington power circles" was out to get him. At 7:41 AM ET, the former Arkansas governor was discussing his efforts in South Carolina with Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski. View video here.

The Club for Growth is advertising heavily against Gov. Huckabee, and, in every other way, opposing his candidacy in the Republican primaries. Yet Huckabee is the one candidate whose tax plan, the FairTax, would promote economic growth. So why is the Club for Growth so anti-Huckabee? Its official reason is that he raised taxes and spending as governor in Arkansas. But Huckabee had to raise taxes to comply with a court order requiring Arkansas to increase spending on education. We suspect that it really opposes Huckabee because of another issue that they mention: he has dared to call for "fair...

More than three years after John Kerry's bitter defeat, at the dawn of what looks like a far more promising campaign cycle for the Democrats, the party is still haunted by the specter of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Once upon a time, "Swift boat" denoted an obscure military vessel, but thanks to the activities of this group it has come to represent movement conservatism's penchant for ruthlessly (and effectively) smearing any and all political opponents, from a sitting senator and war hero to an 11-year-old boy with a cranial fracture. Research by The Nation into Federal Election Commission...

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's rise to prominence in the Republican presidential field is worrying some business groups that question his support for free trade and want more details about his economic plans. While Huckabee's campaign Web site provides few details of his views on trade, some of his public statements "sound awfully protectionist," said Nachama Soloveichik, a spokeswoman for Club for Growth, a pro-business advocacy group. "It's amazing someone is now considered a first-tier candidate, but we know so little about his proposals," Soloveichik said

Washington – Today, the Club for Growth released an updated white paper on former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (PDF file). The Club for Growth originally released the Huckabee white paper on January 29, 2007, the first in its presidential white paper series. As the presidential race developed over the past ten months, many readers have expressed comments and questions, and new information about Governor Huckabee’s record has come to light. In order to ensure that the presidential white papers continue to be thorough and relevant, the Club for Growth decided to issue an updated account of Mike Huckabee’s economic record....

Guess Who Really Pays the Taxes By Stephen Moore From the November/December 2007 Issue Yes, income in America is skewed toward the rich. But taxes are skewed far, far more. The top 5 percent pay well over half the income taxes. STEPHEN MOORE has the numbers. 1. Are income taxes fair?That depends on who is offering the opinion. Democratic candidates for president certainly don’t think so. John Edwards has said, “It’s time to restore fairness to a tax code that has been driven badly out of whack.” Hillary Clinton laments that “middle-class and working families are paying a much higher percentage...

Governor Huckabee's record on taxes as a steward of the public’s money has been CLEAR and consistent as a conservative with strong pro-growth.policies. The Club for Growth misrepresents this record. Governor Huckabee is a fiscal conservative who cut taxes almost 100 times in the state of Arkansas. He doubled the standard deduction and the child care credit, eliminated the marriage penalty, repealed capital gains taxes for home sales, lowered the capital gains rate, expanded the homestead exemption and set up tax-free savings accounts for medical care and college tuition. The fact is that when Governor Huckabee began in office, the...

WASHINGTON - A conservative anti-tax group Wednesday expanded its ad campaign against Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, helped by a major GOP donor who bankrolled ads that questioned Democrat John Kerry's war record during the 2004 campaign. The Club for Growth is spending $175,000 to continue running ads in Iowa that highlight tax increases adopted in Arkansas when Huckabee was governor. During the past three weeks, the group has spent $550,000 to criticize Huckabee's economic policies. According to Federal Election Commission records, ClubForGrowth.net received $200,000 this month from Bob Perry, a Houston homebuilder who in 2004 pumped nearly $4.5 million...