Madison Project

It is rare that the Madison Project endorses incumbents, but as chairman of the Madison Project I am going to make an exception in this critical race for two reasons.

The Madison Project is endorsing Congressman Don Manzullo (IL-16) for his deep record as a conservative during his tenure in Washington, DC. As a former Congressman, I can tell you that the pressure applied by leadership and special interest groups has caused many Members to cast a lot of bad votes. Don has not succumbed to these pressures. Would I have voted differently that Don on the debt ceiling vote this summer? Yes. But that vote does not discredit the many good votes he has made during his time in Congress.

As a case in point on Don’s voting record, our friends over at Heritage Action for America gave Don an 84% rating.

Compare this to Congressman Adam Kinzinger’s 63% on the HAFA scorecard, the “challenger” in this race due to redistricting in Illinois. A freshman Member, Adam has already shown he is not a strong voice for conservatism. In fact, Adam recently joined the Republican Mainstreet Partnership, the cabal of RINOs in the United States House of Representatives.

I am also confused by the efforts of the Campaign for Primary Accountability, a group that calls itself conservative yet is trying to take out Manzullo in this primary. While the overarching goal is a good one (it is similar to the Madison Projects in that it is focused on winning primaries) it seems to be a haphazard effort where a little bit of knowledge on how the process works and who the good guys are would go a long way.

Almost every Republican candidate this season will pledge to repeal Obamacare, but none of them have done more to fight the healthcare behemoth than Carl Wimmer.  During his tenure in the Utah House of Representatives, Wimmer introduced H.B. 67, the bill that banned all state agencies from implementing laws promulgated by Obamacare.  H.B. 67 was the catalyst in granting the states standing in federal court to challenge Obamacare.

In his fight against an overbearing federal government, Wimmer also founded the Patrick Henry Caucus, a group of state legislators who are standing up against federal usurpation of state power and are dedicated to restoring our system of federalism.

Not only is Wimmer a great conservative candidate, he is a fighter as well.  In the state legislature, Wimmer has been a fighter and a leader for all conservative causes – fiscal and social.  He is a former SWAT commander, boxer, and weightlifter.  Nobody in the Republican leadership will be able to call him into the office and push him around. In fact, his tenure in the Utah legislature proves that. And if there is one thing we love, it’s folks who have proven themselves in local and state level offices.

Wimmer is running in the newly-created 4^th district of Utah in central Utah.  Phony blue dog Democrat Jim Matheson is cutting and running from his newly-drawn 2^nd district to run in the 4^th district.

There are a lot of tough decisions to make when wading into electoral politics.  This is not one of them; this is a no-brainer.  The Madison Project is proud to be supporting Wimmer and contributing to his campaign.  Let’s put him over the top during the state convention on April 21, so he can bypass the primary and defeat Matheson in the general election.

As conservatives, we have been frustrated by the fact that there is such a dearth of intellectual firepower among our elected Republicans.  Very few Republicans have the ability to articulate conservatism from a position of strength.  Unfortunately, this shows in their voting record.  A candidate who fails to articulate conservatism is bound to vote along with their GOP leaders as an elected member of Congress.  This is why we need more candidates like Clark Durant in the Senate.

Clark Durant has been articulating conservatism long before he decided to run for public office.  During the 1970s, Durant worked at Hillsdale College and helped start Imprimis, one of the best conservative publications.  In the ‘90s, he helped found a network of charter schools that have had a positive impact on education in inner city Detroit.  While many Republicans struggle with the issues of education, Durant will be able to clearly articulate the superiority of private enterprise over government control in the education system.

Durant is a comprehensive conservative who possesses the requisite knowledge of history, policy, and the Constitution to properly articulate conservative principles in this Democrat-leaning state.  His campaign has already excited Tea Partiers in Michigan.  He has raised $1.3 million in just four months against a better-known opponent.

Durant’s main opponent for the Republican nomination is former Congressman Peter Hoekstra.  While Hoekstra served with distinction as Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, he has a terrible voting record on fiscal issues.  He voted for TARP, raising the debt ceiling, and every bailout under the sun.  At a time when we are trying to preclude the next highway trust fund bailout, we need not support the man who voted for the original bailout in 2008.

Undoubtedly, it is an uphill battle to win a Senate seat in Michigan.  But we certainly won’t gain any traction by running retreads that embody the very vices that we rail against on a daily basis.  It’s time to make some bold “out-of-the-box” choices, which is why we’re going with Clark Durant in Michigan.  We need someone who will stand up to Big Labor in Michigan and Big Government in Washington.  Our guys need reinforcements – big time.  Clark Durant will join our small group of stars in the Senate.

Earlier this week, Senator Mike Lee endorsed Durant for Senate.  At the Madison Project, we are proud to announce our support for Clark Durant.  Please join us in nominating an unvarnished conservative to take on Debbie Stabenow in November.

It is often said you know people by the enemies they have. With that in mind, it is very easy for us to endorse Mark Neumann for Senate given the shrill fear mongering Emily’s List engaged in when Mark announced he was running for the United States Senate.

But it’s more than that. During the years he served in the United States House of Representatives, Mark helped anchor the conservative movement amongst Members, constantly challenging leadership to advance conservatism rather than be content with simply being in power.

We need more men and women in Washington, DC who stand on principle and are unafraid to challenge leadership. That’s why we’re happy to endorse Mark in his run for the United States Senate. It’s a crowded primary field there in Wisconsin, but the Club for Growth has already endorsed Mark as has Jim DeMint’s Senate Conservatives Fund and we are happy to join them in in this fight.

When it comes to primary challenges, this is a scenario we really like.

A 27 year old, comprehensive conservative from the Pittsburgh area who has worked for both Senators Tom Coburn and Rand Paul versus a multi-term RINO who has voted for every government expansion program while he’s been in office.

That’s why we’re endorsing Evan Feinberg in his primary challenge against Congressman Tim Murphy in the race for Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District. If we want to change the system, we have to elect conservatives like Evan Feinberg and send incumbents like Tim Murphy home.

A graduate of Grove City College, one of the premiere conservative institutions in the nation, Evan graduated with a degree in Political Science while serving as chairman of the College Republicans. Evan and his wife Sarah, an Iraq War veteran, have one son, Luke.

Many will look at this race and think it’s too long a shot. Those are the same folks who looked at Marco Rubio when he stood at 4% in the polls against Charlie Crist in the FL Senate primary and said, “No way.” We all know how that ended up.

It can be done, folks. It has to be done. We’re going to throw everything we have at this race and we hope all Madison Project members do the same.

We are thrilled to make our first endorsement in a United States House race for the 2012 election season. We’re even more excited about the candidate himself, Michael Williams, the former railroad commissioner running for Congress in the new 25th Congressional District in Texas.

As many of you recall, because of its pro-business, pro-growth mentality, the state of Texas GAINED four new Congressional Districts in the 2010 census as blue states dominated by public sector unions and the Left, lost Congressional Districts. We at the Madison Project want to make sure all four districts are represented by staunch conservatives who will fight for conservatism in Washington, DC.

A known quantity in Texas politics, both for his fiscal conservatism and his outspoken support of pro-life issues, Michael is one of the best communicators the conservative movement has. If you doubt us, check out his Issues Page. You’ll leave impressed.

While many are already saying Michael has the race for this seat won, we’re not taking any chances and jumping in 100% behind him.

In a year when taking the majority in the United States Senate (and changing the Republican leadership there) is essential, Missouri is going to be one of THE battleground states with Presidential, Senate and House implications.

Concerning the Senate, Missouri presents one of the best chances for conservatives to pick up a seat as incumbent Claire McCaskill has had less than a stellar year, both in the votes she has taken as well as her major ethics problems.

Right now, there are two high profile Republicans running against each other for the chance to face off with McCaskill in the general election next year. Current United States Congressman Todd Akin has a track record of taking hard votes and sticking to his principles when the going gets tough. Recently earning an 81% in the tough new Heritage Action ratings, Akin also has a 92% lifetime rating from the fiscally conservative juggernaut, the Club for Growth.

Opposite Akin in the Republican primary is former Missouri state treasurer, Sarah Steelman. On top of paltry fundraising, Steelman has had strong ties with trial lawyers in the past and was even endorsed in the past by the labor unions, the SEIU and the UAW.

While we would like to see Congressman Akin curtail his earmarking practices, all things being equal, there is a clear cut choice in both the primary and general elections in Missouri’s Senate race. That clear cut choice is Congressman Todd Akin and the Madison Project is excited to endorse him for the United States Senate.

As the Washington, DC establishment lines up behind Jon Bruning, the current Attorney General of Nebraska, in the Nebraska Senate primary, the Madison Project is proud to endorse current Nebraska State Treasurer Don Stenberg for the United States Senate.

Elected three times as the Attorney General of Nebraska, Stenberg is the kind of comprehensive conservative we love to endorse. Strong on fiscal issues (as State Treasurer, he asked the Nebraska legislature to cut his budget by 13% each year for the next two fiscal years), Don is also strong on social issues, personally arguing the partial birth abortion case, Stenberg versus Carhart, at the United States Supreme Court. And while Jon Bruning was silent on the debt ceiling fight, Don Stenberg did what every rock ribbed conservative running for the Senate should have done: publically opposed Senator Mitch McConnell’s scheme to allow President Obama to raise the debt ceiling without cutting federal spending.

This is going to be a tough fight all the way. Don has to get past Jon Bruning in the primary and then face incumbent Senator Ben Nelson (he of the Cornhusker Kickback infamy) in the general election. But we like his chances. This is a man who has been consistently conservative in his politics and will make the right kinds of decisions once he gets elected to the United States Senate.

This is a tough one for us as there are two great conservatives in a crowded Republican Senate Primary in Texas. But all things being equal between Ted Cruz and Michael Williams, we have chosen to endorse Ted Cruz for his ability to raise the kind of money it takes to win a primary like the one in Texas.

The first Hispanic Solicitor General of Texas, Cruz also clerked for former Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist as well as another judge we respect, Michael Luttig on the 4th Circuit.

A comprehensive conservative, Cruz is strong on the traditional family issues like life, faith and marriage (Cruz defended Texas Rider 8 in front of the 5th Circuit, which prohibits groups that provide abortions from receiving state funds, as well as successfully defending the right to keep the Ten Commandments monument on the grounds of the Texas State Capitol) and fiscal issues.

Recently, Cruz was endorsed by one of the Madison Project’s favorite Senators, freshman Mike Lee from Utah. That says a lot to us. Mike Lee is proving to be a conservative rockstar in the United States Senate and it is our hope we can give him reinforcement with someone like Ted Cruz.

This is going to be a long haul for Ted to win this primary-already there are four other high profile candidates in the race with rumors that a fifth will enter within the next few months. This is a great chance for us to replace a RINO in the United States Senate, Kay Bailey Hutchison, with a strong conservative and we know Ted has what it takes to win. He is a comprehensive conservative who can raise money. This will be a hard combination for his opponents to beat. Add to the mix the support the Madison Project will give him and we like his chances even more.

It’s not often after a candidate interview that we can say with absolute certainty, “This candidate represents exactly what the Madison Project is all about.”

Well, we can say with with absolute certainty Josh Mandel is that kind of candidate.

Entering politics in 2003 (at the age of 26) on the Lyndhurst City Council, Josh lead the successful fight to roll back property taxes in Lyndhurst. In 2006, Josh ran for and won the seat representing Ohio’s 17th state House District, a district with a 2-1 Democrat to Republican ratio. While in the state House, he won the “Watchdog of the Treasury” award from the United Conservatives of Ohio while co-sponsoring HB 314, the Ultrasound Viewing Option Bill and other pro-life bills. After two terms in the state House, Josh ran for State Treasurer in 2010 against the Democrat incumbent and won 80 out of Ohio’s 88 counties in a landslide victory.

A former Marine, Josh graduated first in his class at the Marine Corps Boot Camp as well as the Marine Corps Intelligence School. Serving two tours in Iraq, Josh was awarded the Navy & Marine Corps Achievement Award for “superior performance.”

And you know what else we like? Josh is a old school campaigner, knocking on 20,000 doors when he ran for the state House (wearing out three pairs of shoes in the process) and logging 110,000 miles while running for State Treasurer.

This is going to be an uphill battle against the incumbent Democrat Senator, Sherrod Brown. But we know guys like Josh are the rising stars of the conservative movement and that is why we have chosen to endorse him for Senate in 2012.

After losing a tight primary to then Republican Senator Arlen Specter by less than 2 points in 2004, Pat has thrown his hat back in the ring for the 2010 election cycle. The dynamics of this race have shifted with Arlen Specter deserting the Republican Party for what he views as the safe haven of the Democrat Party in Pennsylvania. This was simply a move of self-preservation and we don’t think it’s going to be as safe for him at all-Specter’s position on the Card Check bill (at least for now) guarantees that he will have trouble winning the union vote over in Pennsylvania, the coalition which also does a lot of the grassroots work for Democrats. We have known Pat for years and have seen him in action. He is fantastic on both fiscal and social issues, the type of comprehensive conservative the Madison Project likes to endorse. To some extent, this was a no brainer, but it’s going to be a tough race the whole way for Pat, especially if former Pennsylvania governor, Tom Ridge, jumps into the primary. A known liberal, Tom Ridge is the last kind of “Republican” we would want to see in the United States Senate. He is the epitome of a RINO. We at the Madison Project truly believe Pat can win, but it’s only going to be because people like us, the salt of the earth type conservatives, get behind him with our time, energy and money.

First elected to the Florida House in January of 2000 in a special election, Marco rose through the ranks to become House Majority Leader then Speaker of the House for the 2007/2008 legislative sessions. Marco also lead the charge in Florida against the Supreme Court’s Kelo decision, chairing the committee in 2006 that ultimately wrote the legislation to combat Kelo in Florida. Only 38, Marco is already one of the bright, charismatic leaders of the conservative movement in the United States. If conservatives are going to regain the majority in the U.S. Senate, it is critical that we help candidates like Marco win his primary against a RINO like Charlie Crist and set him up for a strong general election in November of 2010.