Exclusive — Club for Growth Releases Scorecard Detailing Congressional Champions of Freedom

The Club for Growth Foundation will on Thursday release its 2019 congressional scorecard, which details how lawmakers voted on economic legislation, Breitbart News learned exclusively.

The Club for Growth Foundation revealed in its scorecard that 40 House lawmakers and six U.S. senators will receive the conservative organization’s Defender of Economic Freedom Award for 2019. In 2018, 20 House representatives and five senators received the award. Starting in 2011, the Club for Growth Foundation required that lawmakers not only score 90 percent or better on votes cast annually but also maintain a lifetime rating of at least 90 percent to receive the award.

“The Club for Growth Foundation’s annual Congressional Scorecard is the leading tool for activists, investors, and the media to measure how Members of Congress vote on economic policy,” said David Mcintosh, the president of Club for Growth. “Every year, we have disappointments and surprises, and this year is no different. While it’s good to see more Members earn the title of Defenders of Economic Freedom, there are always a few who stray from supporting economic liberty.”

Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Mike Braun (R-IN) received a perfect score in 2019, and Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Rand Paul (R-KY), Ben Sasse (R-NE), and Pat Toomey (R-PA) also received the award.

The 24 House lawmakers that received a 100 percent rating in the House, including:

Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Ken Buck (R-CO), Ted Budd (R-NC), Ben Cline (R-VA), John Curtis (R-UT), Warren Davidson (R-OH), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Glenn Grothman (R-WI), Jim Jordan (R-OH), John Joyce (R-PA), Fred Keller (R-PA), Tom McClintock (R-CA), Mark Meadows (R-NC), Ralph Norman (R-SC), Gary Palmer (R-AL), Scott Perry (R-PA), John Ratcliffe (R-TX), Chip Roy (R-TX), David Schweikert (R-AZ), Greg Steube (R-FL), Van Taylor (R-TX), Mark Walker (R-NC), and Ron Wright (R-TX).

The 18 other House lawmakers receiving Defender of Economic Freedom awards include:

Reps. Tim Burchett (R-TN), Michael Cloud (R-TX), Kevin Hern (R-OK), William Timmons (R-SC), Jody Hice (R-GA), Russ Fulcher (R-ID), Lance Gooden (R-TX), Mark Green (R-TN), Doug Lamborn (R-CO), Thomas Massie (R-KY), Louis Gohmert (R-TX), Steve Chabot (R-OH), Bryan Steil (R-WI), George Holding (R-NC), Andy Harris (R-MD), Debbie Lesko (R-AZ), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), and Steve Watkins (R-KS).

The highest Republican leadership scores in 2019 include:

• House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) at 72 percent.
• House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) at 68 percent.
• House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney (R-WY) at 72 percent.
• Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Barrasso (R-WY) at 59 percent.
• Senate Republican Policy Committee Chairman Roy Blunt (R-MO) at 29 percent.
• Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-SD) at 29 percent.
• Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) at 29 percent.

The highest Democrat leadership in 2019 include:

• Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) at five percent.
• Senate Minority Leader Dick Durban (D-IL) at zero percent.
• Senate Assistant Democrat Leader Patty Murray (D-WA) at zero percent.
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) at 23 percent.
• House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) at 12 percent.
• House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) at 12 percent.

The average House Republican score was 79 percent, and the mean Senate GOP score was 54 percent. In contrast, the average House Democrat score was six percent, while the average Senate Democrat score was 15 percent.

Members of the House progressive “squad” all scored higher than the average House Democrat score.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) scored 33 percent, Ilhan Omar (D-MN) got 38 percent, Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) received 32 percent, and Rashida Tlaib’s (D-MI) score was 25 percent.

The Club for Growth Foundation produced the 2019 congressional scorecard, which is a 501(c)(3) social organization dedicated to educating the public about free markets, pro-growth policies, and fostering economic prosperity. The foundation based the votes based on House 28 votes and 15 votes in the Senate.