According to an internal memo first obtained by German-owned Politico, the conservative Club for Growth is planning to spend seven figures on Republican U.S. House incumbents who oppose House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA-23) during their 2024 re-election bids.
“Club for Growth Action is prepared 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,” according to the memo. “As the largest conservative political action committee, we helped elect 17 of these 20 members to Congress and are determined to make sure they have the support necessary to win their primaries and beat Democrat challengers.”
The “Patriot 20” are Republican congresspeople who voted against McCarthy for House Speaker after their 2022 election victories.
Though the memo does not specifically mention McCarthy, it says its objective in the 2024 primary elections is to ensure the successful bids of potentially vulnerable Republicans, including Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL-13).
Luna has been an outspoken critic of McCarthy during her first term in office. Luna voted against McCarthy’s speakership on her first day in office.
Nineteen other Republicans did the same, holding up McCarthy’s election as House Speaker.
Of those Republicans, five were first-termers.
Luna and her fellow freshman Reps. Andy Ogles (R-TN-05), Eli Crane (R-AZ-02), Josh Breechen (R-OK-02), and Keith Self (R-TX-03) all voted against McCarthy.
“We are committed to retaining the five freshman members of the Patriot 20. We know that first-term incumbents are often perceived as more vulnerable, so we will defend these five members aggressively if any credible primary challengers emerge,” the Club for Growth memo says. “Moderate donors and candidates seeking to settle scores should save their money, because we are prepared to win at all costs. We have a proven track record of success in these races, as evidenced by our investment of over $8.1 million to elect Josh Brecheen (OK-02), Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13), and Andy Ogles (TN-05) last cycle.”
Club for Growth also specifically mentioned protecting three vulnerable Republicans against Democrat challengers during the 2024 general elections.
Those mentioned were Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-CO-03), Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA-10), and Luna.
Club for Growth added a disclaimer to its memo.
“Other members may be added later as congressional maps are redrawn in response to court rulings and the political environment becomes clearer,” it says.
Other prominent members of the “Patriot 20” include Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL-01), Paul Gosar (R-AZ-09), and Chip Roy (R-TX-21).
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter.
Photo “Kevin McCarthy” by Kevin McCarthy.
