Founded in 1991, the Republican Liberty Caucus works to advance the principles of limited government, free markets and individual liberty within the Republican Party.

According to the latest National Taxpayer Union rankings of Congress, RLC-endorsed Representative Jeff Flake is the top friend to taxpayers in Congress. Representative Flake (R-AZ) has always been a RLC favorite.  In the photo at right, RLC interim Arizona Chair Roy Miller handed a RLC PAC check to Jeff Flake for his 2008 re-election bid.

Flake has earned the top spot in NTU’s ranking for six years in a row, tying Ron Paul’s six-year stint from 1979 to 1985. Drs. Ron Paul (R-TX) and Paul Broun (R-GA) followed Flake closely in the 2009 ranking.

Other RLC-endorsed incumbents also scored well: Jim Jordan (89%), Mike Pence (88%), Ed Royce (88%), Doug Lamborn (88%), Jimmy Duncan (87%), Scott Garrett (85%), John Shadegg (84%), and Dana Rohrabacher (82%).

Representatives Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Doug Lamborn (R-CO), in particular, should deserve our support, as they are fairly new members in Congress.  They have found a way to resist the temptations that come along with being a new member of Congress.

That said, Dana Rohrbacher (R-CA) and John Shadegg (R-AZ), while still receiving “A” grades from NTU, have fairly low scores for Congressional veterans who are supposed to be champions of less spending.  I would urge RLC members in Arizona and California to build relationships with these members and ask them to hold the line on spending — 82% is not good enough, Mr. Rohrabacher!  And Mr. Shadegg’s bailout vote is simply unacceptable.

As I posted earlier, only 17 members of Congress did not vote for one of the bailouts. RLC-endorsed members Flake, Paul, Broun, Duncan, Royce, and Garrett can be trusted to hold the line on spending and did not support any bailouts.  They are true champions of liberty.