Pat Toomey

The Club for Growth has released a new 15 second ad in the 5th Congressional District that claims U.S. Rep. Harry Mitchell (D-Tempe) has "backed crippling higher taxes" throughout his political career, from the time he was mayor of Tempe to his first term in the U.S. House.

Club for Growth, whose political action committee has endorsed the candidacy of David Schweikert, Mitchell's opponent in the 5th district, said in an accompanying release that "the $250,000 ad buy will run on broadcast television in the Phoenix market."

The Club for Growth, which is backing the candidacy of Republican primary candidate David Schweikert in the 5th Congressional District, has come out with two new ads, according to a Club release Thursday. Both ads - one a 15 second television spot, the other a 60 second radio commercial - hit Susan Bitter Smith, one of Schweikert's opponents in the primary contest, for voting to increase property taxes as a member of the Scottsdale City Council.

"“Throughout the decade in a half in which Susan Bitter Smith has been involved in politics, her record has been consistently liberal on economic issues,” said Pat Toomey, president of the Club for Growth, in a statement unveiling the ads.  “She supported a huge tax increase when she was a city council member in the early nineties and she refuses to fight wasteful spending today as a congressional candidate.  Susan Bitter Smith can call herself a conservative, but when voters look at her record, they will see just how liberal she truly is.”

5th Congressional District candidate David Schweikert is getting some help from the conservative Club for Growth in a new cable ad running in the district.

The ad, entitled "Keep Fighting," praises Schweikert for his fiscal responsibility as Maricopa County treasurer and a member of the Arizona House.

"It is important to tell people in Arizona about David Schweikert’s positions on taxes so they can call him and encourage him to keep fighting for tax relief and economic freedom,” said Pat Toomey, president of Club for Growth.net, the organization's online wing. “Schweikert’s record on taxes stands out as principled and economically conservative. We hope taxpayers will call Schweikert and ask him to keep fighting for tax relief,” continued Toomey.

Hours after announcing that he was reentering the race to reclaim the U.S. House seat he has held for seven consecutive terms, Republican Congressman John Shadegg today said he recognized that he would need to fight for reelection.

“I’m confident that if I don’t do my job I may lose,” Shadegg told PolitickerAZ.com.  read more »