Rod Blum on Principles & Values

Endorsed Young Gun candidate in national Republican "Drive to 245".

The National Republican Congressional Committee has defined three categories in its "Young Guns" list, and a new fundraising website Drive to 245. Inclusion in the program indicates funding from the NRCC to the candidates, mostly via PAC-funded TV advertising:

Press Release from NRCC
1. The first level of the program: "On the Radar" candidates are individuals running in competitive congressional seats. They have met the minimum threshold in campaign organization and show potential to achieve greater status in the program as the cycle progresses.
2. "Contender" is the second level of the Young Guns program. Contender candidates have completed stringent program metrics and are on the path to developing a mature and competitive campaign operation. They are in congressional seats that appear favorable to the GOP candidate.
3. "Young Gun" is the highest level of the Young Guns program. These candidates have met a series of rigorous goals and surpassed program benchmarks to establish a clear path to victory.

Member of the House Freedom Caucus.

Excerpts from press release from House Freedom Caucus (HFC) founders (1/26/15): According to its mission statement, the HFC "gives a voice to countless Americans who feel that Washington does not represent them. We support open, accountable and limited government, the Constitution and the rule of law, and policies that promote the liberty, safety and prosperity of all Americans." HFC leader Rep. Mark Meadows said, "The HFC will work to provide a unified conservative voice in the House Republican Conference. I look forward to working with leadership to make the concerns of conservatives known as we work together to advance a pro-growth, limited government agenda in the House."

Excerpts from Wikipedia article on HFC: The HFC is a congressional caucus consisting of conservative Republican members of the US House of Representatives. It was formed by a group of Congressmen as a "smaller, more cohesive, more agile and more active" group of conservatives. Many members are also part of the Republican Study Committee, another conservative House group. The caucus is sympathetic to the Tea Party movement.

Supporting argument: (Heritage Foundation, "Conservatives and the HFC," by Jim DeMint, 11/9/2015): The HFC had the audacity to challenge the status quo in Congress, and in the eyes of Washington's elites, that's a serious offense. For years, Washington's chattering class has guarded the status quo Establishment. But despite the howls of media outrage, the HFC has fought to stop business-as-usual in Washington. They are dedicated to [ending] the irresponsible federal spending we've seen over the last decade. This support for commonsense policies has led the Establishment to brand them as "radical" and "ultra-conservative." In reality they are merely advocating for doing what Republican leaders pledged to do. The Freedom Caucus exists to serve as a strong, conservative conscience guiding Congress.