Club for Growth
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The Club for Growth is a section 527 political organization and an affiliated political action committee that raises money for candidates who support an anti-tax and limited-government agenda. It was created by former Cato Institute fellow Stephen Moore. The group claims over 34,000 members.
In the 2002 Congressional races, 17 out of 19 candidates endorsed by the organization won. Their record since that time is not quite as good, but they have had success supporting Democrats in at least one recent election. It also endorsed Mark Sanford in the South Carolina gubernatorial Republican primary. He defeated Lt. Gov. Bob Peeler.
In 2004, the Club for Growth caused a stir within the Republican Party by endorsing and heavily supporting U.S. Representative Pat Toomey, who challenged incumbent Senator Arlen Specter in the Republican primary in Pennsylvania. The organization was reported to have collected contributions totaling $800,000 for Toomey. It also spent $1 million on its own independent television advertising campaign on Toomey's behalf. Despite this overwhelming support, Toomey lost the race against Spector. Afterwards, Toomey accepted his current position as President of the Club for Growth.
The club invented the "RINO Watch" list to monitor "Republican office holders around the nation who have advanced egregious anti-growth, anti-freedom or anti-free market policies." (RINO is an acronym for Republican In Name Only.) The list has focused on Republicans who voted against tax reforms and budget cuts supported by the Club.
In addition, the Club for Growth also makes independent expenditures encouraging certain moderate Republicans to vote more conservatively (i.e., running ads against Senators George Voinovich of Ohio, Olympia Snowe of Maine, and Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island after these Senators objected to certain aspects of President Bush's tax cuts).
On September 19, 2005, the Federal Election Commission filed suit against the Club for Growth for violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act for failing to register as a political action committee in the 2000, 2002, and 2004 congressional elections. [1]
[edit] 2006 Election
In 2006, the Club for Growth criticized rookie Michigan representative Joe Schwarz for a number of liberal views on fiscal issues including his votes against the elimination of earmarks in appropriations bills and his support of higher taxes while in the Michigan Legislature. The Club for Growth endorsed his primary opponent, Tim Walberg, a social and fiscal conservative affiliated with the Chicago-based Moody Bible Institute. On August 8, 2006, Walberg defeated Schwarz.
[edit] External links
- Conservative ‘Club’ Wins With a Broader Battle Plan, by Marie Horrigan, CQPolitics, July 31, 2006
