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Which House Republicans did Club for Growth label RINO in 2023?
Executive summary
Club for Growth has long labeled sitting Republicans as “RINOs” and publicly targeted them for primary challenges; reporting in 2023 shows the group both defended some insurgent conservatives and continued to single out individual Republicans it called big‑government RINOs (for example, calling West Virginia figure Jim Justice a “big government RINO”) [1] [2]. Available sources in the provided set do not produce a single, comprehensive 2023 list of House Republicans that Club for Growth explicitly labeled “RINO.” Not found in current reporting: a definitive roster titled “Club for Growth labeled RINO (House) — 2023.”
1. Club for Growth’s long practice of “RINO” labeling — institutional context
Club for Growth has an institutional history of producing scorecards, a “RINO Watch” style targeting effort, and a PrimaryMyCongressman-type initiative to identify Republicans it deems insufficiently pro‑growth, dating back well before 2023; Ballotpedia and historical reporting document that the group publicly names and targets incumbents with low economic scorecards [3] [4]. This establishes that using “RINO” language and seeking primary challengers is standard operating practice, not an ad‑hoc 2023 novelty [4].
2. 2023 reporting shows targeted activity but not a single “RINO” House list
Contemporary reporting in 2023 documents Club for Growth’s active political role — it spent and raised large sums, cut deals on spending in certain primaries, and publicly defended and opposed particular Republican figures — but the provided articles do not publish a consolidated 2023 list of House Republicans labeled “RINO” by the group [5] [6] [7]. Axios and FEC records describe strategic spending and priorities for the cycle, indicating the group’s engagement, but not a named roster of RINOs in the House in 2023 [5] [6].
3. Examples from 2023: public attacks and defenses reveal priorities and targets
Specific 2023 examples in the provided sources show the group using “RINO” language in high‑profile cases: Club for Growth Action called West Virginia figure Jim Justice a “big government RINO” while fundraising for Alex Mooney [1]. Separately, the group pledged to defend a set of House Republicans who opposed Kevin McCarthy’s speakership fight (the so‑called “Patriot 20”), signaling it was selective in who it would label and who it would shield [2]. These actions illustrate that Club for Growth’s rhetoric and labels in 2023 were deployed as part of both attack and defense strategies [1] [2].
4. Why a simple list is hard to compile from these sources
The materials supplied show Club for Growth operates via scorecards, targeted ad buys, and PAC support, and that it rotates targets over years; earlier published target lists (e.g., 2016 and prior iterations) exist, but the current sources do not reprint a discrete 2023 “RINO” list for House members [8] [9] [4]. Ballotpedia and FactCheck explain the organization’s methods — releasing scorecards and backing challengers — which implies labeling is often distributed across multiple statements, ads, and scorecards rather than a single document [3] [7].
5. Competing perspectives and potential agendas
Club for Growth frames its actions as defending “free‑market, limited government conservatives” and holding lawmakers to an economic standard [10] [7]. Critics and other outlets portray the group as an aggressive purity‑testing actor within the GOP, willing to bankroll primaries and pick fights that can reshape the party [11] [5]. Those divergent portrayals matter: Club for Growth’s agenda is explicitly fiscal‑conservative, and its labeling reflects that ideological standard rather than a neutral measure of overall conservatism [10] [4].
6. If you need a confirmable roster: what to request next
Because the supplied reporting lacks a single authoritative 2023 roster, the next step is to ask for primary‑source documents: the Club for Growth’s 2023 press releases, PrimaryMyCongressman/website archives for 2023, or their 2023 scorecard and any accompanying “Target” announcements. The FEC filings and Club for Growth Action’s independent‑expenditure reports for 2023 could also show which House incumbents the group funded opposition against or labeled indirectly via ad buys [6] [7].
Limitations: the answer above relies only on the documents you provided; those sources show Club for Growth’s methods and selective 2023 examples [10] [1] [2] but do not contain a complete “House Republicans labeled RINO in 2023” list. If you want, I can search for Club for Growth’s 2023 press releases, archived “PrimaryMyCongressman” pages, or targeted ad text to compile a more concrete roster.