The Club for Growth is an organization with an affiliated PAC that recruits more conservative candidates to run in the Republican primaries against what they perceive as “RINO” incumbents, or who are not sufficiently supportive of a socially conservative, low-tax and limited-government agenda.
The Club has had success in running in open races with the candidates they endorse, but less success when taking on an incumbent. In 2004, Pat Toomey (now the Club’s President) challenged Arlen Specter and lost. In 2006, Cranston, RI Mayor Steve Laffey lost in his bid to unseat Rhode Island Lincoln Chaffee. Indeed, prior to 2008, the Club was only successful once in unseating a “RINO” incumbent.
Their second win came this year when they endorsed Maryland State Senator Andy Harris to take on the moderate Wayne Gilchrest in the Maryland First Congressional District, our neighbor to the west. Yet, the Club’s efforts maybe counterproductive to the Republican cause. For they end up with candidates that are too conservative for even conservative districts to elect. Take the aforementioned Maryland 1st. State’s Attorney Frank Kratovil, the Democratic candidate that will face Harris in the fall, is well positioned to retake the seat for the Democrats:
Not only has [Kratovil] been targeted for support from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. But the Maryland delegation’s most powerful members are determined to help him beat Republican candidate, state Sen. Andy Harris, who they see as out of step with the district.
With their help, Kratovil raised nearly $80,000 at one fundraiser this week.
…
[T]he event was Kratovil’s first major Washington fundraiser. It came a week after he became one of 37 Democrats targeted for the DCCC’s “Red to Blue” program, which offers top Democratic campaigns for Republican seats financial, communications and strategic support.
In 2006, each of the 56 candidates in the program received an average of $404,000.
What we need in Delaware is for Club for Growth to train their self destructive lasers on Mike Castle. We liberals and Democrats have our vehement disagreements with the Congressman, namely his unrelenting support for the Iraq War and of President Bush. But there are conservatives who find Castle too moderate for their tastes. The problem for the Club in coming to Delaware to flex their conservative muscle is 1) the lack of any potential conservative to challenge him and 2) the Delaware Way tradition of not challenging incumbents. And at the same time, if we were to be lucky enough to have the Club for Growth come in and challenge Castle, we would actually have to have a credible and viable alternative to whatever right wing nut job running in Castle’s place. Maryland Dems are lucky in that they both had a credible candidate in Kratovil and the good fortune of the Club-backed Harris defeating Gilchrest. Somehow, I doubt Delaware Dems will ever be so lucky.