Conservative group targets state

Kirsten Searer

Tuesday, June 1, 2004 | 10:58 a.m.

The Club for Growth, a conservative anti-tax group, has morphed into a powerful national political organization, even though it sometimes encourages Republicans to turn against each other.

And Nevada, where politicians are still licking their wounds after last year's tax struggle, could be a prime target this election year as the group works against Sen. John Kerry's bid for the presidency.

"When liberals like John Kerry say they're only going to raise taxes on rich people, guard your wallet, because they're coming after you, too," warned Stephen Moore, president of the group, while in Las Vegas last week.

Moore, an academic who has made a career out of fighting federal taxes, brought to Las Vegas a lengthy to-do list.

He was priming the state for a string of pro-Bush advertisements set to begin running at the end of the week. With a $50,000 buy, the average Nevada television viewer will see the ads six to 10 times, Moore said.

But Moore envisions more than an advertising blitz in Nevada, a state that has seen its fair share of television appeals in the past few months from liberal-leaning groups such as MoveOn.org.

He also hopes to foster a local group that would attack Republican legislators who voted for tax increases during last year's tax battle in Carson City.

And he said he is contemplating throwing "substantial" money into Republican Richard Ziser's challenge to Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Moore is keen on the political landscape in Nevada, in part because of the legions of tax-frustrated California residents who have fled to the Silver State.

The Club for Growth is one of a few conservative organizations operating as a so-called 527 group, named for its tax designation. The advocacy groups can run ads almost unfettered by federal campaign limits.

Republicans have criticized the groups, saying they dodge efforts to reform campaign financing.

But Moore said Republicans should have a chance to fight back against groups such as MoveOn.org and America Coming Together, which are largely financed by billionaire financier George Soros.

Last week, the Federal Elections Commission delayed a vote on whether to curb the 527s, meaning they can continue their advertising campaigns -- for now.

"We always believed that the Bush-Cheney complaint with the 527s on the leftwas misguided," said Moore, whose group hopes to raise $20 million this year." Even though I didn't believe in what MoveOn.org was saying, I did believe they had the right to say it."

Founded in 1999 with about 200 members, Moore's 527 emulates Emily's List, an advocacy group that connects supporters with females looking to run for office.

But instead of women, Moore wanted to promote hard-line fiscal conservatives. His group now totals about 20,000 people, he said.

The Club for Growth has established a pattern of attacking people who voted for taxes, regardless of whether they are Republican or Democrat.

This year in Pennsylvania, for example, the group threw millions into a Republican primary battle between Rep. Pat Toomey and veteran Sen. Arlen Spector, R-Penn.

Toomey, buoyed by $2.5 million from The Club for Growth, came close to eeking out a win against the senator.

"He almost pulled off the upset of a generation," Moore said.

Now The Club for Growth is looking to focus on November elections, and Moore said he was impressed by Ziser, who he said has "sterling" stances on taxes.

While Moore said he's not sold on sinking millions into the race, he is putting out feelers to determine if Ziser has enough support for the group to make a monetary plunge.

He said the group is ready to challenge Reid on his opposition to measures that would repeal the death tax.

"It will depend on whether or not Ziser gets off the ground," Moore said. "If he does, that's one of the attacks we'll level against Reid."

Ziser campaign consultant Steve Wark said his candidate would welcome supportfrom the group.

"They are in agreement philosophically on taxes, how real jobs are created, how real family income can grow and all the public policy associated with that," Wark said.

Yet Sean Sinclair, a spokesman for Reid, said the sitting senator has a growing amount of Republican support that doesn't want to unseat him.

"The Club for Growth seems to be a very far-right organization that goes sofar as to attack Republicans who are going to stand on the most extreme end of the Republican Party," Sinclair said.

Also last week, Moore met with about 100 Nevada members of the Club for Growth to talk about organizing a statewide chapter of the group that would target Republican legislators who voted last year for a tax increase in Nevada.

They wouldn't have to oust all of the Republicans who voted for tax increases to make their point, he said.

"All you have to do is defeat a couple of them and the rest get the message," he said.

Yet even Wark, a Republican consultant, seemed wary about the idea of going after Republicans caught in last year's tax debate. He said most Republicans have a large base of supporters who worry about issues beyond taxes.

"That becomes a little trickier when you're talking about getting involved in Legislative races," Wark said.

The Club for Growth pro-Bush advertising campaign set to begin this week has been criticized by some who say that the images of Sept. 11, 2001, should bekept out of political campaigns.

"We think it's inappropriate," said Jon Summers, a spokesman for the state Democratic party.

But Moore argues that the attacks were aimed at the country's financial institutions and therefore fall under the group's interests.

"Look, this was the defining event of our lifetimes," Moore said. "It'sabsurd to say that 9-11 should not be part of this election. It should becentral to the election."

He promised that the next round of ads in Nevada will more specifically attack Kerry's record.

"Let me put it this way," Moore said, "this is one of those states thatGeorge W. Bush can't afford to lose. If he loses in Nevada, he's in bigtrouble."