The battle between Democrats and Republicans figures to take a back seat for a time in early 2010 while attention is focused instead on Republican intramural contests – and Club for Growth is expected to be on the front lines.
The group is looking to seat conservative rather than moderate Republicans. It was involved in the recent NY-23 House race, backing a conservative third party candidate in a contest in which the Republican candidate finally withdrew.
It is also already active in Florida, where Gov. Charlie Crist is running for the Senate. CfG is assisting the challenge from the right of Marco Rubio in that race.
According to Politico.com, the organization is currently checking out the electoral map and deciding where else it may wish to make its presence known.
One possibility is Kentucky, where incumbent Jim Bunning (R-KY) is retiring. In an unusual twist, Politico says two Republican candidates looking to replace him are actually courting CfG and ignoring the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
As a matter of fact, NRSC’s John Cornyn (R-TX) announced that the committee would stay out of any primary battles in 2010, leaving the field wide open for CfG and other groups.
RBR-TVBR observation: We have no idea what the Republican Party will look like after it sorts through its internal disagreements. But we do know this – hot primary contests are not a given, and any time one crops up in your district, it amounts to a bonus election advertising season. So they are good for business.
