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Newsok.com August 18, 2010
Chris Casteel
Club for Growth, the Washington-based group that advocates for limited government, has made nearly $149,000 in expenditures from its political action committee in the last few days for Kevin Calvey in the GOP runoff for the 5th District congressional seat, federal election commission records show.
The Club’s PAC spent nearly $87,000 to buy air time for a pro-Calvey ad and the rest on television ad production and mailing costs.
That brings the total of Club for Growth PAC spending on Calvey to $160,162 since the July 27 primary, won by James Lankford. The runoff between Calvey and Lankford is on Aug. 24.
The recent expenditures by the PAC are on top of the tens of thousands of dollars Calvey has received from Club for Growth members in direct campaign donations since last year, when the club endorsed Calvey’s candidacy.Calvey already had a huge financial advantage over Lankford before Club for Growth PAC lent its help this week.
Lankford was outspent by Calvey and state Rep. Mike Thompson in the primary but still beat them both.
Kevin Calvey Congressional Campaign Funding Secret Federal agency PAC, tied to Russian Mafia funds View
Opensecrets.org Club for Growth funding for Calvey view
WASHINGTON - Club for Growth, the Washington-based group that supports limited government and lower taxes, poured $149,000 into Kevin Calvey's congressional campaign in the past few days, with much of it going to a television ad that touts Calvey's experience fighting liberal policies.
The money was spent by the club's political action committee, which has put just over $160,000 into its efforts for Calvey since the July 27 primary, according to Federal Election Commission reports.
Calvey, of Oklahoma City, is facing James Lankford, of Edmond, in Tuesday's runoff for the Republican nomination for the 5th Congressional District seat.
Though Club for Growth cannot by law coordinate its efforts with Calvey's campaign, the group has been echoing Calvey's runoff message - that Calvey, a former state lawmaker who wrote legislation to cut taxes, has the experience that Lankford, a political newcomer, lacks.
The club, which got heavily involved in Sen. Tom Coburn's race in 2004, endorsed Calvey last year, as it did in Calvey's unsuccessful run for the seat in 2006. Club for Growth members across the country have donated tens of thousands of dollars directly* to Calvey's campaign.
Ed: Actually hundreds of thousands of dollars directly ($100,000s)
The club's political action committee also has spent money on direct-mail pieces promoting Calvey.
Mike Connolly, a spokesman for the group, said Wednesday that the endorsement "was and remains based on Calvey's proven and impeccable record of fighting for economic freedom and limited government, even if it means going against his own party."
Lankford, a former youth camp director, said Wednesday that Club for Growth "is like many Washington, D.C.-based special interest groups - they jump into races around the country when they do not even know all the candidates in the race or the people in the state."
"I believe that there are many Oklahomans in the private sector who are capable of fighting for the values and core principles of our nation, not just a small elite group of experienced politicians," Lankford said.
Lankford said he has been endorsed by state Reps. Mike Thompson and Shane Jett, who finished third and fourth, respectively, in the July 27 Republican primary for the congressional seat. Both served with Calvey, and "believe that I have the leadership to take on the liberals in Washington."
Calvey enjoys a huge financial advantage over Lankford in the campaign even without Club for Growth's recent help. However, Lankford finished first in the primary despite being outspent by Calvey and Thompson.