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Conservative organization Club for Growth announced a $20 million pledge to help reelection the 20 House Republicans who backed out of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s bid for the speakership earlier this year.
In a recent memo, Club for Growth Action said it is “willing to spend $20 million in defense of the Patriot 20, the group of members who fought to advance conservative priorities and establish a more transparent and accountable legislative process in the House during the Speaker negotiations in January.”
“As the largest conservative political action committee, we helped elect 17 of these 20 members to Congress and we are committed to ensuring they receive the support needed to win their primaries and defeat Democratic challengers,” David McIntosh, president of the Club for Growth Action, wrote in a July 20 memo to investors.
“Moderate donor networks are already working to retaliate against these conservative members who they believe are vulnerable to a primary challenge,” he said. “Disclosing our financial commitment can be an effective deterrent to some potential challengers. These funds will also allow us to make aggressive independent spending efforts targeting moderates who eventually emerge as one of these members.”
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Representatives Lauren Boebert and Scott Perry speak at a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing on Wednesday, July 19, 2023. Both are part of the conservative group Club for Growth’s Patriot 20. (Haiyun Jiang/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Those 20 Republicans are Representatives Eli Crane, Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar of Arizona; Lauren Boebert from Colorado; Florida’s Matt Gaetz, Anna Paulina Luna and Byron Donalds; Andrew Clyde from Georgia; Mary Miller of Illinois; Andy Harris from Maryland; Montana’s Matt Rosendale; Then Bishop of North Carolina; Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma; Scott Perry of Pennsylvania; Ralph Norman from South Carolina; Tennessee’s Andy Ogles; Keith Self, Chip Roy and Michael Cloud from Texas; and Bob Good of Virginia.
Club for Growth said its first priority is to retain the five freshman members of the Patriot 20, as first-term incumbents are often seen as more vulnerable.
They are Crane, Luna, Brecheen, Ogles and Self.
Representative Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., exchanges words with Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., after Gaetz voted present on the 14th ballot in which McCarthy failed to receive enough votes to be elected Speaker of the House on Friday, January 6, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“Moderate donors and candidates looking to settle accounts should save their money because we are prepared to win at any cost,” the memo said. “We have a proven track record of success in these races, as evidenced by our investment of more than $8.1 million to elect Brecheen, Luna and Ogles during the last election cycle.
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The second stated priority is to protect the 15 other conservative Republicans.
“We are closely monitoring the re-election efforts of each Conservative incumbent and will not hesitate to use independent spending to defeat moderate challengers,” the memo said. “We will not compromise in our defense of these members.”
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., reacts during a stay vote following a day of voting for the new Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 4, 2023. McCarthy failed to earn more than 218 votes on six ballots in two days, the first time in 100 years that the Speaker was not elected on the first ballot. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
The memo noted that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has already announced plans to target congressional districts represented by Boebert, Luna and Perry.
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“Our primary role in the general election will be to level the playing field against the Democrats’ spending advantage. We will do this by conducting independent spending related to conservative candidates targeted by the DCCC,” the organization wrote.
For example, the memo stated that the last time “one of our conservative champions was seriously threatened in a general election” was in 2020, when they handed out $6.4 million to help Roy.
Danielle Wallace is a reporter for Fox News Digital covering politics, crime, police and more. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter: @danimwallace.
