continue to roll in:
Ryan Endorses Flake in Arizona Senate Race
By David M. Drucker
Roll Call Staff
4:55 p.m.
Republican Rep. Jeff Flake’s campaign for the Senate seat held by Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R) moved ahead this week, while several Republicans and Democrats continued to examine whether to jump into the Arizona race.
Flake picked up the endorsement of House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Thursday. The Club for Growth has also endorsed the Arizona Republican, throwing its weight behind him just minutes after Kyl’s decision not to run for re-election in 2012 was confirmed Feb. 10.
Flake’s campaign released an Internet advertisement this week to introduce his candidacy, which was announced Monday.
Among the Republicans recently floated as possible competition for Flake is businessman Tucker Quayle, the older brother of Rep. Ben Quayle (R-Ariz.) and son of Dan Quayle, the former Senator and vice president. On the Democratic side, some are mentioning state Rep. Chad Campbell.
Sources based in Arizona said there is growing speculation that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano would opt against running. Napolitano previously served as Arizona governor and state attorney general. Napolitano’s press office at Homeland Security had yet to comment on the secretary’s plans Thursday afternoon.
Political Action Arm of Nation's Oldest Taxpayer Group Gives Early Endorsement to Flake for Senate
ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- No other candidate in the state could possibly beat Jeff Flake's past record and future promise as an advocate for taxpayers, which is why the National Taxpayers Union Campaign Fund (NTUCF), the political action arm of the 362,000-member National Taxpayers Union (NTU), today gave Flake its enthusiastic endorsement for election to Arizona's U.S. Senate seat in 2012. NTUCF has never before announced its endorsement for a candidate at such an early point in the election cycle ? a testament to Flake's unsurpassed qualifications for the job.
"Jeff Flake's top-notch voting record, energetic leadership, keen policy mind, and steadfast dedication to the principles of limited government all call for his election to the Senate," said NTUCF President Duane Parde. "We have every confidence that he will be one of the Senate's greatest advocates for taxpayers, and Arizonans should too."
Parde noted that in the U.S. House of Representatives, Flake has been a fiscal trendsetter ever since he took office. He has earned straight "A" grades on National Taxpayers Union's annual Rating of Congress, which is based on every roll call vote affecting fiscal policy. The Rating assigns Senators and Representatives a "Taxpayer Score" and letter grade reflecting their commitment to limited government. "Only a handful of Members of Congress, current or retired, can boast of such a stellar record fighting for taxpayers," Parde added. In fact, Flake can claim a record for the Rating ? the most consecutive years as NTU's top scorer. He has finished first on the NTU scorecard each year from 2003 through 2009 (the 2010 Rating has not yet been released).
However, Flake has been much more than a solid vote for taxpayers; he has been an unrivaled leader and pioneer on fiscal issues as well. "From earmark reform to spending reductions, from ending taxpayer subsidies for ethanol to tackling entitlement programs, Jeff Flake has inspired his colleagues to take the taxpayer's side time and again," Parde observed. This has often included a willingness to buck the leadership of his own party and reach across the aisle to lawmakers in the other party ? two key traits that NTUCF looks for in an ideal pro-taxpayer lawmaker.
"Even with the election a year and a half away, Jeff Flake stands out as the taxpayer's choice for the U.S. Senate," NTUCF Chairman David M. Stanley concluded. "NTUCF is proud to endorse his candidacy, and Arizona voters should be just as proud to cast their ballot for him in 2012."
Note: NTUCF is the political action arm of NTU, the nation's oldest grassroots taxpayer organization. NTU, founded in 1969, created the NTU Campaign Fund in 1994. NTUCF's endorsement decisions require a unanimous vote on a nonpartisan basis by a four-member committee.
SOURCE National Taxpayers Union Campaign Fund
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