Conservative and well-known Club for Growth claimed to have reached an agreement with the super PAC affiliated with House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) at approximately 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday while the House was in the midst of its sixth round of voting to pick a new speaker.
McCarthy’s super PAC, the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), has said that it will neither support nor participate in any Republican primary races for open seats in districts that lean heavily conservative.
The Growth Club’s leader, Dave McIntosh, voiced his disagreement with the agreement and reaffirmed the organization’s desire to have McCarthy speak at the club, but only under specified conditions, or “principles.”
McIntosh thinks that the deal reached by the super PACs is an excellent response to a significant problem. McCarthy’s staffers are currently debating whether or not to propose new House rules. Under these conditions, the Club for Growth will back Kevin McCarthy as Speaker.
To qualify for financing from the Club for Growth, one must be a club member and share their views on limited government and free markets.
McCarthy’s detractors argue that in making his deal with the CLF, McCarthy knew that it would undermine the CLF’s prospects of winning the Republican primary.
The head of the Conservative Leadership Fund (CLF) thinks McCarthy should stay in his present job so the Republican Party can “pick up seats for the third cycle in a row.”
Christopher L. Content, the organization’s founder and president, has stated, “CLF will not invest in any open-seat primary in safe Republican districts, and CLF will not lend money to any super PACs to do so.” It is safe to assume that the Republican Party may rest easy knowing that the CLF never has and will never attempt to sabotage its efforts in Congress.
Even though McCarthy has been repeatedly rejected by the Club for Growth, he has informed Punchbowl News that he is “in discussions” with some of the group’s 20 members.
Wednesday night/Thursday morning will be the final vote to choose who will give the keynote presentation.