Club For Growth Endorses John Campbell For Congress

I've just learned the Club for Growth is endorsing John Campbell for Congress. These are the guys whose support for then-Rep. Pat Toomey's primary challenge to the treacherous Sen. Arlen Specter led to the arch-RINO's near-defeat last year.

Here's the press release:

Nation's Leading Free Market Advocacy Group Endorses John Campbell For Congress In the California-48 Special Election

Washington, D.C. - The political action arm of Club for Growth, the nation's leading free-market advocacy organization with over 31,000 members, today endorsed respected state senator and taxpayer hero John Campbell for Congress in the California 48th district. The seat was vacated by Rep. Chris Cox, who recently became chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

"As proven by his stellar record of opposing higher taxes in the California General Assembly and State Senate, John believes in limited government and lower taxes and is willing and able to stick to his principles as a legislator," said Club for Growth president Pat Toomey. "The Club for Growth PAC is committed to helping elect him, and more legislators like him, to Congress."

During the last election cycle Club for Growth members donated more than $9 million to the Club's PAC and candidates committed to pro-growth economic policies. For this election cycle, the Club has established a new and more aggressive approach to begin the campaign process much earlier and give proven, pro-growth candidates like John Campbell the best possible chance to win their races.

"The endorsement of John Campbell for Congress is one of the earliest recommendations that the Club for Growth has made. It reflects our new approach to supporting strong, pro-growth candidates early," said Mr. Toomey. The Club's first endorsed candidate for '06, Sharron Angle in NV-02, raised more money in one month, following the Club's endorsement, than any other candidate raised in a quarter.

Mr. Toomey concluded, "I am confident, that if elected, John Campbell will display the principled and effective leadership that his constituents will expect of him. California's 48th District deserves a principled and effective leader like John Campbell to represent them."

The Club for Growth was founded in 1999 as a nationwide membership organization dedicated to advancing public policies that promote economic growth. The organization's PAC helped raise campaign contributions from its members for the most free-market oriented candidates in targeted congressional and other races. In 2003-2004, the Club for Growth and its affiliates raised over $22 million and the Club's PAC helped elect sixteen new Members of Congress. The Club for Growth has grown fifteen-fold since 2000 to over 30,000 members today.

For more information, please contact Chad Kolton at MOBILE: (202) 378-3824 or OFFICE: (202) 585-2902.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Club for Growth, this is from their website:

The Club for Growth is a national network of over 30,000 men and women, from all walks of life, who believe that prosperity and opportunity come through economic freedom.

The Club for Growth exists to encourage, and make possible, the enactment of pro-growth economic policies by the federal government. The primary tactic of the Club for Growth PAC has been to provide financial support from Club members to viable pro-growth candidates to Congress, particularly in Republican primaries.

Club for Growth Policy Goals:

• Making the Bush tax cuts permanent
• Death tax repeal
• Cutting and limiting government spending
• Social Security reform with personal retirement accounts
• Expanding free trade
• Legal reform to end abusive lawsuits
• Replacing the current tax code
• School choice
• Regulatory reform an deregulation

Clearly, the Club eschews the hot-button social issues and focuses on liberty and free-market economics. So, when you factor out the differences between Campbell and Marilyn Brewer on issues like abortion and focus on economics, the Club for Growth has opted to endorse Campbell. Definitely a key endorsement, especially if the Club decides to mount a significant independent expenditure effort.   

Comments

[Toomey is Awesome]

This endorsement is a great boon to Campbell for shoring up his right flank. That said, I wonder if Campbell and Toomey met. If so, I wonder if Toomey asked Campbell whether he (Campbell) would have endorsed Toomey's challenge to Arlen Spector last year.

Campbell's weakest areas, by far, are his timidity to endorse in GOP primaries (let alone against a squishy incumbent!) and hiring moderate staff hacks.

Toomey Fan

[Interested]

I wonder if Campbell filled out their questionaire?

[Jim Lacy]

Toomey did meet with Campbell and Campbell interviewed well. Campbell still refuses to answer the Conservative Fund questionnaire, however.