ICYMI: CLUB FOR GROWTH ACTION’S ROLE AS A “FINANCIAL JUGGERNAUT” IN 2020 RACES FEATURED IN THE HILL

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In case you missed it, The Hill’s Tal Axelrod reported on Club for Growth Action’s enormous influence in 2020 races down the ballot.

EXCERPTS:

The conservative Club for Growth [Action] is flexing its financial muscle this year, doling out millions of dollars to conservative congressional candidates and outspending most other outside groups as it looks to help the GOP keep control of the Senate and improve Republican chances in the House.

Seeking to establish itself as a financial powerhouse, Club for Growth [Action] is spending in about two dozen down-ballot contests after raising $55 million this year, making 2020 its most lucrative cycle yet as it pursues its agenda of promoting candidates who adhere to the group’s mantle of economic conservatism.

Club for Growth [Action] has spent more than $15.7 million in advertising for Republicans, according to tracking firm Advertising Analytics, and has outspent almost every other group not affiliated with a presidential candidate, according to data from OpenSecrets. The group said it plans to spend at least $35 million in total this cycle — a $15 million jump from both 2016 and 2018.

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“I would say that Club for Growth [Action] is the most active independent super PAC in the country,” said David McIntosh, the group’s president, in an interview with The Hill. “As you can see, we’re a magnitude greater and are seeking to have a huge impact on the Republican primaries and then in the general election, as well in keeping the Senate and helping to build a conservative majority in the House.”

McIntosh said Club for Growth [PAC] has interviewed more than 250 candidates this cycle as it mulls who to back.

“What we want to do is be the premier group for free market and limited government conservatives, that people know when Club for Growth [PAC] endorses a candidate, they’re going to stand and fight for those issues and they’ve been vetted, so they’re good leaders,” said McIntosh, who also represented Indiana for three terms in the House.

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“I’m hoping what you’ll see is both incumbents and people who are thinking of running … thinking, ‘OK, if I want to have a shot at Club for Growth [PAC] endorsement, I’ve got to be for their economic agenda, for tax cuts and less regulation and stopping crony capitalist spending,’ ” McIntosh said. “That’s my hope, that not only will they seek out Club for Growth [PAC] but they’ll in their careers look at the agenda and say, ‘That’s what I want to stand for in my voting.’”

Read the full article here.