Republican presidential candidates Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul have received qualified high approvals from the conservative Club for Growth,
National Review reports.
Such early support from the club is seen as crucial to candidate fundraising as the group offers its thumbs-up to candidates who are pro-growth and low regulation, National Review noted.
The Libertarian-leaning Rand Paul received lavished praise along with his two opponents for supporting free-market policies, National Review reported.
All three senators earned grades over 90 percent, Club for Growth President David McIntosh said.
"My members are telling me, 'Well, we’ve got a lot of "our guys" getting ready to run,'" McIntosh said of the slate of strong candidates.
National Review said the club would likely look harder at other issues that could be concerning — tax plans, green-energy subsidies, and their own political endorsements — as the campaign cycle blooms.
"A high grade on a Club for Growth white paper can fill a campaign’s coffers, while a low one can send candidates packing," National Review says of the importance of earning the club's trust. Members score candidates after they review white papers that outline their philosophies on everything from social issues to economic interests.
Politico noted the role of the club in picking a winning primary candidate, describing it as a 2016 "kingmaker." It noted that "most of the potential candidates see eye to eye with the club on key issues like eliminating the Export-Import Bank, killing ethanol subsidies and continuing the ban on earmarks."
Both Cruz and Rubio spoke in March at a Club for Growth event for its 200 biggest donors at the The Breakers resort in Palm Beach, Florida, Politico reports.
"Cruz, Paul and Rubio are the real deal, and we believe any one of them would be a pro-growth, limited government president," McIntosh said,
according to the Washington Examiner. "We've looked at their records and their rhetoric, and they give us hope for the future of the GOP on fiscal policies."
Paul was described as a "true champion of economic freedom," the club said Thursday in releasing its ratings. Of Rubio, it added, "There's little to argue about on his [Senate] record."