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The pro-business Club for Growth said Wednesday that if Rep. Jason Chaffetz decides to challenge Sen. Orrin Hatch for the Republican nomination next year, the club will back Chaffetz.
Political insiders say that Chaffetz has told them that he will run against Hatch. Chaffetz said he is "gravitating" in that direction but nothing is official until he makes a formal announcement, which won't come until the fall.
But Chris Chocola, president of the D.C.-based Club for Growth, said Chaffetz has been "a pro-growth star since entering the House and is exactly the type of leader we need in the United States Senate."
"Senator Hatch has frequently supported policies that have grown government, burdened our economy, and taken America in the wrong direction. Fiscal conservatives can do better," Chocola said. "If Congressman Chaffetz decides to run for the U.S. Senate, he will have the full support of the Club for Growth PAC and our 55,000 members."
The Club for Growth targets several of Hatch's votes, including his support for the Troubled Asset Relief Program during the Bush administration, five votes to raise the debt limit and his support of a bill aimed at stabilizing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.