The Senate Conservatives Fund (SCF) is taking aim at the lower chamber of Congress.
{mosads}The group, which until now has almost exclusively focused on Senate races, is endorsing five House candidates facing competitive primaries.
“These candidates believe deeply in our nation’s founding principles and will be strong voices for freedom in Washington,” said SCF Executive Director Matt Hoskins in a statement. “They are strong conservatives who will fight to balance the budget and repeal ObamaCare.”
One endorsed candidate include attorney Bryan Smith (R), a Tea Party challenger running against Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho). Smith has gained a lot of national attention and already has the backing of the deep-pocketed Club for Growth.
The others include Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz (R), who’s in a crowded primary to replace retiring Rep. Tom Latham (R-Iowa); former Maryland GOP Chairman Alex Mooney (R), who’s running for the seat Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) is vacating for her Senate run; Chad Mathis (R), who’s in a competitive primary to replace retiring Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.); and Barry Loudermilk (R), one of several Republicans running to replace Senate candidate and Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.).
This is the first time the SCF has gotten involved directly in House races — they’d previously endorsed Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-Okla.), but that was more to signal that they’d back him if he ran for Senate.