WI-SEN

GOPer Mark Neumann Announces Senate Campaign In Wisconsin

Eric Kleefeld | August 29, 2011, 1:56PM

Former Rep. Mark Neumann (R-WI)

Former Rep. Mark Neumann (R-WI) officially launched his campaign for U.S. Senate Monday, setting up a likely Republican primary against the more moderate former Gov. Tommy Thompson.

Neumann announced his campaign in an interview with conservative talk radio host Charlie Sykes, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Neumann's likely opponent Thompson has been gearing up for the race, and has already been attacked by the conservative group the Club For Growth.

Some of Neumann's former aides now work at the Club For Growth, though Neumann said in the interview that he would not have any control over what the group does. "They support conservative candidates. We hope they'll support us," Neumann said of the Club. And regarding his former staffers, he said: "They are conservative people and they are dedicated to reducing wasteful spending."

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WI-SEN

Club For Growth Ad Slams Tommy Thompson In Wis. Senate Race (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | August 23, 2011, 9:55AM

The right-wing Club For Growth is wasting no time in taking a shot at Republican former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, who is poised to officially enter race for the state's open Democratic-held Senate seat. They've released a new TV ad seeking to tie Thompson to President Obama and health care reform.

Of course, Thompson does not yet have an opponent. But the Club has been dismissive of Thompson for months, and has released poll data suggesting that the relatively moderate Thompson could be vulnerable to a primary challenge from the right.

"Tommy Thompson has been a politician since way back in 1966," the announcer says. "But do you know his record? As governor, Thompson supported massive tax and spending increases."

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Mitt Romney

Did Mitt Romney Raise Taxes Or 'Close Loopholes'?

Benjy Sarlin | August 12, 2011, 9:40AM

News that then-Governor Mitt Romney's office played up his predecessor's tax hikes to secure a better rating from Standard & Poor's may undercut his hardline anti-tax image. But the S&P story also revives a longstanding debate over Romney's own revenue raisers as governor, an issue that takes on greater significance than it did in 2008 thanks to the recent debt ceiling talks.

On Wednesday, Politico reported on a presentation Romney's office gave to S&P in 2004 touting the strength of the state's budget thanks in part to a 2002 tax increase that he opposed. The presentation also highlighted higher fees and newly closed loopholes that Romney championed himself. While Romney supporters have long argued these policies should not count as tax increases, critics have long insisted otherwise and the S&P story pushes the debate into the headlines once again.

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Super Committee

GOP Leaders Pick Conservative Members To Serve On Deficit Super Committee

Brian Beutler | August 10, 2011, 12:19PM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) have announced their selections to serve on the new so-called Super Committee -- the panel called for in the debt limit bill that's been tasked with reducing deficits by at least $1.2 trillion.

McConnell's picked his Whip, Jon Kyl (R-AZ), as well as conservative freshman Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), and arch-conservative Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA).

Boehner tapped Reps. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), chair of the GOP conference, and the caucus' top message man; Dave Camp (R-MI) chair of the Ways and Means Committee, which controls tax revenue; and Fred Upton (R-MI), whose powerful Energy and Commerce Committee has broad jurisdiction over just about everything other than taxes, but particularly health care.

As head of the majority party in the House of Representatives, Boehner was asked to name the committee's GOP co-chair, and for that he chose Hensarling -- an extremely conservative member who in recent weeks falsely characterized the debt limit fight as a consequence of spending policies enacted by President Obama and past Democratic congresses. By quite a ways, most existing debt is the result of GOP policies, or bipartisan initiatives like the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hensarling served on President Obama's fiscal commission, headed by Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, but ultimately opposed their recommendations, because they included higher revenues.

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Debt Ceiling

Conservatives Renew Campaign Against Boehner Debt Limit Plan

Brian Beutler | July 27, 2011, 3:37PM

RedState's Erick Erickson

Conservative advocates opposed to House Speaker John Boehner's (R-OH) debt limit plan aren't relenting just because GOP leadership is twisting arms.

Club for Growth president Chris Chocola, and Red State founder Erick Erickson are both continuing to push House Republicans to vote against Boehner's plan when it comes to a vote on Thursday. Indeed, they're opposed to any plan that doesn't guarantee vast spending reductions, and allow conservatives to declare victory in a decades long fight over the propriety of federal safety net programs.

"That's why groups like the Club for Growth and others oppose the Boehner debt reduction plan, the Reid debt reduction plan, the McConnell debt reduction plan (has there been an Obama debt reduction plan?), and any other plan that does not include those basic tenets," Chocola writes in a Wednesday afternoon Politico op-ed. "Even newspapers like the Wall Street Journal that support the Boehner plan point out that 'It's true that the Boehner plan doesn't solve the long-term debt problem.'"

Erickson -- an influential figure among House conservatives -- is taking names.

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John Boehner

CIVIL WAR: GOP Coalition Splinters Into Open Conflict Over Debt Ceiling

Benjy Sarlin & Evan McMorris-Santoro | July 27, 2011, 6:00AM

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) and Speaker Boehner

The Republican leadership's efforts to avert a debt ceiling crisis with a two-tiered set of cuts is turning into the most divisive wedge issue the party has confronted since President Obama took over in 2009.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) may have thought his face-saving plan, which he hoped to bring to the floor Wednesday, offered a path to victory. However, since treading upon it he's been beset from all sides. It's not just that the President is threatening to veto the bill, should it ever make it past the Senate; it's that Boehner's fellow conservatives are sniping at him with (not so) friendly fire. Now the vote he'd hoped to bring triumphantly to the floor Wednesday looks delayed until at least Thursday, and even then the outcome is uncertain.

That's because the GOP is teetering on the brink of a debt-based civil war. More traditional Republicans and big business types are desperate to avoid a recovery-crushing default. But their Tea Party colleagues are leading a rebellion of epic - perhaps even galactic - proportions. Cue the John Williams music and find out who stands where in this stand-off between the Establishment's storm-troopers and the Rebel Alliance.

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John Boehner

Why Boehner's Debt Limit Plan Will Have To Fail Before Endgame Becomes Clear

Brian Beutler | July 26, 2011, 5:17PM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)

High level discussions continue between Democrats and Republicans to make sure Congress raises the debt limit before the Treasury runs out of borrowing authority and has to slash public spending on a massive scale. But for the moment, we're in a period of repose. In public, few are willing to budge too far off their own party's plan to raise the debt limit. And members and aides are now believe that a viable solution won't emerge until one of the existing, partisan plans fails publicly.

In other words, things haven't moved a whole lot since yesterday. For the moment, most participants expect that the House GOP plan, authored by Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) will move first, and will fail, either in his own chamber or in the Senate. But they're now pessimistic that a workable plan will emerge before then, something party leaders were hoping against hope for yesterday.

"I think so -- probably that's the case," Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) told reporters Tuesday afternoon.

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Wisconsin Recalls

Club For Growth Pumps Money Into WI Recalls

David Taintor | July 26, 2011, 5:55AM

As the Wisconsin state Senate recalls heat up, big money is flowing into the races.

A recent development comes from the Washington Post's Greg Sargent, who reports that the Wisconsin chapter of Club for Growth has spent at least $1.5 million so far.

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Debt Ceiling

Club For Growth To Republicans: Trigger A Default, Or Else!

Brian Beutler | July 18, 2011, 2:01PM

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

To understand why Republicans won't raise the debt limit until after they hold a symbolic vote on a plan to squeeze the government down to a size that would require it to gut popular entitlement programs, it's important to realize it's not just because of the political perks. Powerful conservative interest groups are demanding they vote for it. And at the same time they're warning the GOP against voting for the only viable option currently on the table for avoiding a catastrophic debt default.

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Debt Ceiling

Club For Growth Warns GOP: Balanced Budget Or Bust

Benjy Sarlin | July 7, 2011, 10:54AM

Conservative anti-tax group Club For Growth is warning Republican lawmakers that when it comes to debt talks, it's balanced budget or bust.

The White House is reportedly discussing a broad deal with the House GOP that could reduce the deficit by $4 trillion over the next decade with as much as $1 trillion coming from new revenues. But a spokesman for the group, Barney Keller, told TPM that they were married to Sen. Jim DeMint's (R-SC) "Cut, Cap, and Balance" proposal, which demands that Republicans make the successful passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment a precondition for any deal.

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Jon Huntsman

Club For Growth: Jon Huntsman Is Pretty Lame

Benjy Sarlin | June 22, 2011, 12:08PM

Jon Huntsman

Having reviewed the sum total of Jon Huntsman's accomplishments and biography, indeed looked deep within the former Utah governor's very soul, Club For Growth announced its findings on Wednesday: "Meh."

The conservative anti-tax outfit dubbed Huntsman a "frustrating figure," whom they nevertheless credited with pursuing "pro-growth" policies in Utah. On the negative side, they took off major points for increasing state spending ("inexcusable"), backing TARP, and once supporting cap-and-trade legislation to combat climate change. They were especially concerned with the governor's belief that Americans deserve proper health care.

"We find Governor Huntsman's statement that 'health care is a right' to be simply flabbergasting," they wrote. "We're not sure what part of the United States Constitution Governor Huntsman was referring to when he made that statement, but he certainly needs to explain what he was thinking."

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Mitt Romney

Club For Growth On Mitt Romney: Not Exactly Feeling It

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 7, 2011, 12:30PM

The conservative fiscal purists at the Club For Growth are less than thrilled with Republican presidential front runner Mitt Romney. In the latest from their series of ""white papers"" on the Republicans seeking the 2012 nomination, the Club has dug into Romney's past and found him lacking.

"After a career in business, quickly finding a 'solution' seems to be his goal, even if it means more government intrusion as a means to an end," the Club summarizes.

Needless to say, this is not the way the group would prefer to do things.

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Pres '12

Club For Growth: 'We Struggle To Identify The Real Tim Pawlenty'

Eric Kleefeld | May 25, 2011, 10:08AM

Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN)

The Club For Growth, the big-money conservative group that advocates right-wing economic views -- and has pushed some serious primaries against GOP incumbents along the way -- came out Tuesday with its latest "White Paper" on a GOP presidential candidate, this time taking a look at Tim Pawlenty. Their verdict: "We struggle to identify the real Tim Pawlenty."

The Club issued a review last week of Newt Gingrich, that was positive overall but cautioned that he "has a few doozies in his record." They will have more white papers on the other candidates in the weeks and months ahead.

The Club notes Pawlenty's history of favoring tax cuts, and his vetoes of various tax increases proposed by his state's Democratic legislature. But on the other hand, they criticize him for having endorsed a local referendum to raise property taxes in his home school district, supporting a cigarette tax increase, his support for state biofuel mandates, and for not taking a public position on the Minnesota "Legacy Amendment" approved by the voters in 2008, which raised sales taxes by 3/8 of a percent for environmental and cultural preservation. And they also criticize his past support for cap-and-trade, which Pawlenty himself has recanted.

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WI-SEN

Club For Growth Slams Tommy Thompson: 'April Fools Was Weeks Ago'

Eric Kleefeld | May 18, 2011, 4:14PM

Former Gov. Tommy Thompson (R-WI)

Tommy Thompson, the former Wisconsin governor and Bush-era Health and Human Services secretary who is widely expected to run for his state's open Democrat-held Senate seat, could now face some stiff opposition from his right -- namely from the right-wing activist group the Club For Growth, which came out strongly against him this afternoon.

The Club said in a statement:

"Tommy Thompson raised taxes as Governor, supported ObamaCare, and now he wants to run for the United States Senate? April Fools was weeks ago," said Club for Growth President Chris Chocola. "Wisconsin Republicans should recruit a pro-growth conservative to run, not recall some big-government pro-tax Republican whose time has come and gone. Club members are watching Wisconsin's Senate race closely.

Keep in mind that the Club is perhaps most known for the determination with which it backs primary challengers over establishment-backed moderate GOP candidates, and even GOP incumbents.

So a statement like this is not to be taken lightly, as Thompson mulls his final decision about running.

Pres '12

Club For Growth: 'Gingrich Has A Few Doozies In His Record'

Eric Kleefeld | May 16, 2011, 1:03PM

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA)

The Club For Growth, the big-money conservative group that advocates right-wing economic views -- and has waged some serious primaries against GOP incumbent along the way -- has just released a "White Paper" detailing their views of Newt Gingrich's record. The verdict: "One could reasonably expect a President Gingrich to lead America in a pro-growth and limited government direction generally, possibly with flashes of real brilliance and accomplishment, but also likely with some serious disappointments and unevenness."

Gingrich is the first 2012 GOPer to receive a White Paper from the Club, with more yet to come for the other candidates.

The Club's dossier does indeed praise Gingrich's record on taxes, spending cuts and free trade, finding only a few blemishes along the way. But when there are blemishes, as the paper says at one point, "Gingrich has a few doozies in his record."

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Budget

Three House GOPers Switched Their Budget Votes After Dem Trick

Susan Crabtree | April 15, 2011, 4:04PM

Cathy Rogers

A Democratic trick on the House floor today forced exactly three Republicans to bow to pressure from their leadership and switch their vote in a last-ditch attempt to save the preordained, less conservative GOP budget plan.

In a stroke of parliamentary genius, Democrats decided to jam a more conservative budget plan through the House in order to hang it around Republicans' necks.

The vote, if successful, would have forced Republicans to formally endorse the more conservative option-- a GOP plan on steroids -- providing deeper cuts for the wealthy and more severe entitlement rollbacks. Democratic campaign ads slamming Republicans for voting for extreme, draconian cuts would have inevitably followed.

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Anonymous

'Anonymous' Takes Down Site Of Conservative Group Club For Growth

Jillian Rayfield | March 1, 2011, 9:43AM

President Chris Chicola

The hacker collective 'Anonymous' is taking credit for bringing down the site of the conservative anti-tax group Club For Growth, which was apparently down for a decent chunk of time Monday night.

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Club For Growth

Club For Growth May Target Orrin Hatch In 2012

Jillian Rayfield | January 31, 2011, 6:17PM

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT)

Sen. Orrin Hatch may have gotten a pass from the Tea Party Express on a 2012 challenge from the right, but the anti-tax group Club For Growth says it still hasn't made any decisions about him.

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Bush Tax Cuts

Influential Conservatives Line Up Behind Tax Cut Compromise

Brian Beutler | December 8, 2010, 11:27AM

Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

Here's the counterpoint to the threat Sen. Jim DeMint and the Club for Growth pose to President Obama and Mitch McConnell's tax cut compromise. A number of influential conservatives have already endorsed the plan, including Grover "Drown It In The Bathtub" Norquist.

A GOP source sent over a sampling of those endorsements.

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Barack Obama

Two Major Conservative Obstacles Emerge To Tax Cut Compromise

Brian Beutler | December 7, 2010, 9:19PM

Jim DeMint

Two key obstacles emerged Tuesday night to the passage of President Obama's tax cut compromise with the GOP. This time they come from the right: The influential anti-tax group Club for Growth and conservative kingmaker Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) both came out in opposition to the agreement, threatening the breadth of Republican support for the plan.

"This is bad policy, bad politics, and a bad deal for the American people," said Club President Chris Chocola in a statement. "The plan would resurrect the Death Tax, grow government, blow a hole in the deficit with unpaid-for spending, and do so without providing the permanent relief and security our economy needs to finally start hiring and growing again."

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Earmarks

Earmark Fight In Senate Pits Tea Partiers Against Establishment GOP

Evan McMorris-Santoro | November 12, 2010, 8:50AM

Jim DeMint

Total opposition to earmarking is a key tea party tenet, and the battle to get Republicans to voluntarily ban it in their ranks is already raging. Establishment leaders like Minority Leader Mitch McConnell -- who favor earmarking for its time-honored electoral implications -- are clashing with pro-ban Senators led by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), the body's tea party hero.

Lining up behind DeMint in the push to end earmarks are Sens. Jim Coburn (R-OK), John Cornyn (R-TX), John Ensign (R-NV) and Mike Enzi (R-WY) -- along with Senators-elect Pat Toomey (R-PA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rand Paul (R-KY), Mike Lee (R-UT), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Ron Johnson (R-WI).

McConnell has reportedly been fighting behind the scenes to squash the proposed ban, and Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) -- one of the Senate's most conservative members -- is publicly blasting his anti-earmark colleagues for hypocrisy.

Who wins the scrum could have broad implications in 2012.

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2010 elections

Pledge To America Trashed By Unlikely GOPers: Top 5 Critiques Of New Republican Agenda

Christina Bellantoni | September 24, 2010, 11:03AM

Minority Leader John Boehner and House Republicans unveil "A Pledge to America"

The House Republicans aiming to force a 1994 repeat and win control of Congress cast aside their ties yesterday to "pledge to America" what they'd do if they win. It's no surprise the Democrats trashed the plan, but some conservatives don't like it one bit either.

The 21-page Republican agenda, summarized blandly by the Associated Press, is "filled with familiar proposals to slash taxes and spending and cut down on government regulation, as well as repeal President Barack Obama's health care law and end his stimulus program." But it "steers clear of specifics" on budget issues, offering only "a vague promise" about entitlement spending. That's the neutral wire service take, but many conservatives seem to agree.

TPM rounded up the top five most surprising reactions to the Republican agenda.

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Social Security

Dems Seize On Club For Growth's "Hell Yeah!" Push For Social Security Privatization

Brian Beutler | September 22, 2010, 11:31AM

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).

This is the fight Democrats want to have. Yesterday, the influential Club for Growth -- a conservative advocacy group formerly led by Pat Toomey, the current Republican candidate for Senate in Pennsylvania -- publicly argued for privatizing Social Security. It was actually more blatant than that. The organization titled their pitch: "Privatize Social Security? Hell Yeah!"

"Most Republicans are running away from the Social Security issue," the post read. "They've probably been told by establishment handlers to never defend "privatization" or personal accounts. Baloney.... Candidates for Congress should adopt that message and support it loudly."

Democrats swiftly reacted, in the hope of wedging those very Republican candidates from the Club for Growth -- or, better yet, exposing those Republicans who agree with the group.

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Club For Growth

Club For Growth Ads Target Senate Candidates In Five Key Races (VIDEO)

Marc Kilstein | September 16, 2010, 5:48PM

From a Club For Growth ad

A new arm of the conservative group Club for Growth has rolled out a $1.5 million television ad campaign today, with spots targeting "the liberal, out-of-touch" records of five Democratic Senate candidates. Let's take a look.

First up -- Nevada. The TPM Poll Average shows Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid leading Republican Sharron Angle 47.3%-44.7%. Club for Growth's ad suggests that Angle "understands what Nevada is going through." While she lives in her "middle class Nevada house", Reid is living in the "million-dollar Ritz Carlton in Washington."

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2010 elections

Conservatives Attack Trent Lott After Former GOP Leader Bashes Tea Party

Christina Bellantoni | July 19, 2010, 4:38PM

Former Senator Trent Lott (R-MS)

Add former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott to the list of Republican tea party bashers. Lott (R-MS) held little back in a Washington Post interview that was published this weekend, drawing the ire of conservatives far and wide.

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Russ Feingold

Feingold Highlights His Support Among Far-Right Republicans

Brian Beutler | July 6, 2010, 2:19PM

Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI)

If you're wondering whether Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) thinks his seat is under threat this November, look no further.

Poised to face wealthy Tea Party favorite Ron Johnson in the general election this fall, Feingold is trying to draw attention to the support he's had in the past from some of the most conservative people and organizations in Republican politics.

In a release accompanying his first radio ad in Wisconsin, Feingold's campaign runs through a laundry list of conservative supporters. "The conservative group Americans for Prosperity, the 'nation's premier grassroots organization committed to advancing every individual's right to economic freedom and opportunity' and a major backer of the Tea Party movement, praises Feingold, saying 'I applaud Senator Feingold for voting against the 2009 Omnibus Spending bill and truly respect his principled stand against wasteful earmarks.'"

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NV-SEN

Club For Growth Releases Ad Attacking Lowden In NV-SEN (VIDEO)

Eric Lach | May 26, 2010, 11:13AM

Sharron Angle and Sue Lowden are opponents in the Nevada Republican primary for US Senate

The Club For Growth has released an ad attacking Nevada GOP Senate candidate Sue Lowden and backing Sharron Angle as the state's "leading fiscal conservative."

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NV-SEN

Club For Growth Endorses Angle In NV-SEN Republican Primary

Eric Kleefeld | May 19, 2010, 12:25PM

Former Nevada legislator Sharron Angle (R)

The Club For Growth has made its choice in the Nevada Senate race, picking tea party-backed former state Rep. Sharron Angle in the three-way Republican primary to go up against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

This brings the Club's considerable heft into a race that has seen GOP establishment favorite Sue Lowden fumble from her suggestion that people use the barter system to lower their health care costs -- infamously discussing how her grandparents' generation would bring a chicken to the doctor as payment. Former UNLV basketball player Danny Tarkanian is also competing with Angle for hardline conservative votes, and the Club's choice could potentially have a big impact. They've already had a strong cycle for Republican nominations, advancing Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania and Marco Rubio in Florida -- and they have taken credit for Utah Sen. Bob Bennett losing renomination at his state GOP convention.

A recent Mason-Dixon poll showed Angle surging into second place, trailing Lowden by 30%-25%, with Tarkanian at 22%.

UT-SEN

Club For Growth: 'We Put A Lot Of Work' Into Defeating Bob Bennett

Eric Kleefeld | May 10, 2010, 1:49PM

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT)

The Club For Growth is declaring victory from the defeat of Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT) at this past weekend's Utah Republican convention, when the incumbent was denied renomination after three terms. And what's more, they are pointing to a whole record of successes in Republican Senate primaries so far this cycle.

In an interview with TPMDC, Club executive director David Keating estimated that the group spent about $180,000 against the incumbent Senator.

"Well, we put a lot of work into it. I think as far as I could tell, we were the only organization that was trying to defeat Bennett at the convention," said Keating. "So we put a lot of effort into the caucus itself. What we hoped to do, and it seemed to work well, was to drive up knowledge about Bennett's record -- and to tell people that there even was a caucus, which a lot of people didn't seem to know."

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UT-SEN

Bye-Bye Bob Bennett? Why The GOP Senator Could Lose His Seat

Eric Kleefeld | May 3, 2010, 8:50AM

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT)

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT) could very well become the first incumbent Senator to lose re-election in 2010, when his state party convention convenes next weekend. So how is that even though Bennett has voted against the Obama administration's key initiatives, he may become a casualty of the anti-spending Tea Party right and its fellow travelers?

Bennett himself has offered an explanation, which rings true in many ways. There is an anti-incumbent, anti-establishment mood among conservative activists, who want to throw the bums out in Washington. "But in this state, there is no Democrat to get really mad at in this fashion, so they get mad at me," Bennett has said.

A recent Mason-Dixon poll of convention delegates gave attorney Mike Lee 37%, followed by businessman Tim Bridgewater with 20%, the incumbent Bennett at only 16%, and businesswoman Cherilyn Eagar with 11%. In another bad sign for Bennett, a whopping 61% of delegates view Bennett unfavorably, with only 28% having a favorable view of him.

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UT-SEN

Club For Growth Goes After GOP Sen. Bennett In New Ad (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | March 3, 2010, 5:58PM

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT)

The conservative Club For Growth has launched a new attack ad against Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT), who has become a top target for them in their quest each cycle to take out a Republican incumbent they deem to be insufficiently conservative.

Bennett has been in the Club's sights for quite some time. The new TV ad attacks Bennett for such big-spending programs as the TARP bailout and the "Bridge To Nowhere" in Alaska -- and even accuses him of colluding with liberals on health care reform. The ad then exhorts viewers to attend their local Republican Party precinct caucuses on March 23 -- a process that could potentially unseat Bennett, as explained below.

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Parker Griffith

Conservative Backlash Against Griffith Party Switch Begins

Evan McMorris-Santoro | December 22, 2009, 12:18PM

Rep. Parker Griffith (D-AL)

If Rep. Parker Griffith (soon-to-be R-AL) thought the Republican base would welcome him with open arms, he may be getting a wake up call as news of his party switch spreads across the internet.

Two prominent names in the conservative movement -- Erick Erickson at RedState and The Club For Growth -- have promised Griffith will have a tough time convincing Republicans to vote for him, despite the fact that he's now one of their own. Griffith, a self-professed Blue Dog Democrat, has been far to the right of House Democrats this year, even promising to vote against another term as Speaker for Nancy Pelosi.

But those stances aren't enough for Erickson and the Club, both of which say the GOP primary will be a tough one for the Democrat-turned-Republican.

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Joseph Cao

Club For Growth: Challenging Cao In GOP Primary 'Would Be A Waste Of Money' For His District

Eric Kleefeld | November 9, 2009, 1:21PM

Rep. Joseph Cao (R-LA)

Rep. Joseph Cao (R-LA) may have an interesting built-in line of defense against Republicans who would want to seek retribution over his vote for the health care bill: His overwhelmingly Democratic district.

I asked Club For Growth executive director David Keating, whose group has often supported insurgent conservatives -- Marco Rubio, Pat Toomey, Stephen Laffey and Doug Hoffman, just to name a few -- whether the group might support a primary against Cao. "Our PAC doesn't plan on backing any primary challengers to him," said Keating, "because it would be a waste of money, probably, for the general election."

Cao's district, centered around New Orleans, voted 75%-23% for Barack Obama in November 2008, by far the most Democratic district to be currently represented by a Republican. Cao won a shocking 50%-47% victory in a specially scheduled December election (due to hurricane damage) against Democratic Rep. William Jefferson, who was then under indictment and was later convicted on corruption charges.

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FL-SEN

Club For Growth's New Involvement In Florida Race Spurred By Rubio's Fundraising Success

Eric Kleefeld | November 6, 2009, 5:17PM

Gov. Charlie Crist (R-FL) and former state House Speaker Marco Rubio (R)

Yesterday, the Club For Growth launched a new attack ad against Gov. Charlie Crist (R-FL), a moderate who is facing a challenge in the GOP primary for Senate from the more conservative former state House Speaker Marco Rubio -- which was, in fact, a change from the Club's previous skepticism about getting involved in this race.

Back in July, when Crist was much further ahead in both polls and fundraising, the Club's executive director David Keating had said the Club was still looking at where it could best spend its money: "We have to look at his race versus all the others we're interested in, and there are going to be a lot of competitive races."

Today, Keating told TPM that Rubio's recent pick-up in fundraising, taking in about $1 million for the previous quarter, was an encouraging sign.

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FL-SEN

Club For Growth Targets Crist With Florida TV Ad

Rachel Slajda | November 5, 2009, 12:38PM

Florida Governor Charlie Crist (R)

Club for Growth, the conservative group that bankrolled Doug Hoffman's failed candidacy in NY-23, has, not surprisingly, set its sights on Gov. Charlie Crist (R-FL) today with an ad that will air on Florida television.

The ad attacks Crist for supporting the stimulus and speaking in favor of it at rallies with President Obama. It claims "200,000 Floridians have lost their jobs" since the stimulus passed.

Read more »

NY-23

GOP Campaign Calls Upon Conservative Hoffman To Drop Out, In Wake Of Poll With Him Up

Eric Kleefeld | October 26, 2009, 5:17PM

NY-23 Candidates Dede Scozzafava (R) and Doug Hoffman (Conservative)

In a press release sent out by the Dede Scozzafava campaign, the moderate Republican running in the three-way special election, several GOP state legislators call upon Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman to drop out of the race -- and declare that a new poll from the pro-Hoffman Club For Growth showing him ahead is false:

"Doug Hoffman must do the right thing and drop out of this race right now," said Assemblywoman Janet Duprey. "This is a campaign for Congress -- not an audition to be a talking head on a cable news program. Doug Hoffman doesn't live here, he doesn't understand our local issues and, regardless of his campaign's theatrics and false polls, he knows he is completely unelectable. Make no mistake about it -- Doug Hoffman is a spoiler, and by staying in this race he will jeopardize a seat the Republican Party has held here since the Civil War. It's high time that Hoffman puts the good of this community over his personal ambition and endorses our Republican nominee Dede Scozzafava," she concluded.

Hoffman spokesman Rob Ryan gives us this comment: "This just proves many Republicans don't know how to read polls or sense the groundswell of support that's taking place in the district. Dede Scozzafava is the spoiler in this race, because she's so liberal. Doug Hoffman will be the next Congressman, because Republicans from throughout the district will vote for him on election day."

NY-23

Club For Growth Poll: Conservative Hoffman Ahead In NY-23, Moderate GOPer Scozzafava In Third

Eric Kleefeld | October 26, 2009, 12:34PM

NY-23 Candidate Doug Hoffman (Conservative)

A new poll from the right-wing Club For Growth, which is supporting Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman in the NY-23 special election, says that Hoffman is ahead in the three-way race -- and moderate Republican Dede Scozzafava in third place.

The numbers: Hoffman 31%, Democrat Bill Owens 27%, and Scozzafava 20%. The margin of error is ±5.66%.

This is contrary to other polls that have shown Owens in front, Scozzafava second, and Hoffman third. The Club points out that no information about the candidates was given before the ballot question, meaning that they did not try to prime the pump for Hoffman in the lead-up to asking people for their preferences.

From the pollster's analysis: "Hoffman now has a wide lead among both Republicans and Independents, while Owens has a wide lead among Democrats. Dede Scozzafava's support continues to collapse, making this essentially a two-candidate race between Hoffman and Owens in the final week."