One of the biggest pick-up opportunities for Republicans next year is going to be in Wisconsin, where the Democratic Senator Herb Kohl is retiring. There is a three-way primary, and the Club for Growth PAC has already endorsed one candidate.

That candidate has already been endorsed by Jim DeMint’s Senate Conservative’s Fund, Senator Rand Paul, and Senator Tom Coburn.

His name is Mark Neumann, and he was tea party before being tea party was cool.

Erick has written many times on here about how conservatives need to “hold the freaking line”. Mark Neumann’s already been there in Congress as an original member of the class of ’94, and he’s done it under enormous pressure from the big-spending establishment.

Here’s one example: in 1995 Mark fought against a Republican spending bill, and Republican leaders, including the uber-powerful Bob Livingston, informed him they were going to kick him off the Appropriations Committee as punishment. In response Neumann sent an open letter to every Member of Congress, which said in part:

“If I come to Washington and vote with my conscience for what I believe to be in the best interest of the future of the US, and I’m getting kicked off this committee, then I’m sorry I only have one committee to get kicked off of.”

This incited a near-revolt among the freshman class of 1994. Leadership buckled, and put Neumann back on appropriations. They put him on the budget committee too. The story lives on as a Washington legend of how principled men can overcome powerful interests.

This is exactly the type of representative we need in Washington. He has an outstanding record protecting economic freedom that I’d put up against anyone who served during that time period.

Mark’s main opponent in the Republican primary is going to be former Wisconsin Governor and Bush Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson. Thompson supported ObamaCare, increased spending, and raised taxes as Governor.

Today, the Club for Growth released a six-page report examining Thompson’s affiliation with the labor-backed group America’s Agenda, which lists the following as its main federal campaign:

“Enactment of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA) was a breakthrough against a wall of resistance that has prevented progress in reforming health care for decades. As a result, tens of millions of Americans who had no health insurance, at all, will gain coverage under this law. Millions will have better coverage than before. The America’s Agenda federal health reform campaign had the privilege of making substantial contributions to shaping and winning passage of this historic health insurance reform law.”

You can download the whole six-page report by clicking here. Today, Thompson still appears as an endorsement of this pro-ObamaCare group along with Obama and Tammy Baldwin, a far-left Wisconsin Congressman who is running as a Democrat for the same Senate seat. He served on their board of directors from at least 2009-2010. While Mark Neumann and the rest of you were fighting ObamaCare, Thompson was saddling up to President Obama and helping his labor allies pass it. That’s a fact, and it’s indisputable.

The choice is clear. I urge the Red State community to back Mark Neumann for the Senate. The contrast is clear, the choice is clear, what happens next is up to us.

Sincerely,
Chris Chocola
President, Club for Growth