Budget

Club for Growth releases 2013 scorecard

by Erik Wasson - 02/24/14 11:11 AM ET

The conservative Club for Growth on Monday released its annual scorecard for 2013.

Just two senators received 100 percent ratings: Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Mike Lee (R-Utah).

The ratings list has become an important barometer for House and Senate conservatives, and can be used to ward off or bolster a primary challenge from the right.

This year’s scorecard penalizes lawmakers for votes to authorize Hurricane Sandy disaster spending without offsets, to approve the farm bill, to end the government shutdown without attaching major reforms and to approve the December budget deal.

{mosads}All Senate Republicans scored higher than the most conservative Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who scored a 20 percent. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) has the lowest GOP score at 37 percent.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who faces a Tea Party primary challenge from businessman Matt Bevin and a strong Democratic opponent in Alison Lundergan Grimes, increases his Club rating from 74 percent to 87 percent this year.

Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), who faces a primary challenge from state Sen. Chris McDaniel, also increased his rating from 48 percent to 56 percent.

In the House, Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) improved their ratings. Cantor went from 66 percent to 68 percent, and Ryan went from 71 percent to 79 percent.

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), who does not vote on most bills, is not rated.

Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) rating went down from 66 percent to 53 percent, and Rep. James Lankford (R-Okla.), who is running for Senate, declined from 80 percent to 70 percent.

Blue Dog Democratic Reps. Jim Matheson (Utah) and Mike McIntyre (N.C.), both of whom are retiring, were the most conservative Democrats with a 40 percent score.

The Club noted they scored higher than four Republicans: Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (Fla.), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Fla.), Michael Grimm (N.Y.) and Chris Gibson (N.Y.).

Tags Club for Growth GOP primary challengers Mitch McConnell Thad Cochran