By Ethan Faverino |
The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) announced its endorsement of four Arizona Republicans, including three incumbent congressmen and a gubernatorial candidate, citing their voting records on federal spending, government accountability, and fiscal responsibility.
In an October 23 announcement, CCAGW endorsed 12 candidates for the U.S. Senate, 123 candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives, and six gubernatorial candidates nationwide based on their lifetime ratings, as reported in the organization’s 2025 Congressional Ratings.
The Arizona endorsements include Representatives Eli Crane (R-AZ-02), Paul Gosar (R-AZ-09), and Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ-08), along with Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05), who is running for governor.
According to CCAGW, Hamadeh received a lifetime rating of 100%, followed by Crane at 98%, Biggs at 97%, and Gosar at 93%.
“During their tenures in the Senate and House, these members of Congress have been strong and reliable votes to curb government waste and reform Washington,” said CCAGW President Tom Schatz.
“On top of their impressive voting records, they fought for increased accountability and transparency while opposing efforts to increase federal spending and adopt burdensome new regulations,” he added.
Since 1989, CCAGW has evaluated congressional roll call votes involving federal spending, taxation, transparency, and government accountability to assess lawmakers’ records on fiscal responsibility.
The organization’s 2025 Congressional Ratings examined 25 votes in the House of Representatives and 31 in the Senate during the first session of the 119th Congress.
Lawmakers are scored on a scale of 0% to 100%, with those receiving scores between 80% and 99% designated as Taxpayer Heroes. Members earning a perfect score of 100% receive the organization’s highest designation, Taxpayer Super Hero.
Based on their lifetime ratings, all four endorsed Arizona candidates meet the organization’s criteria for its two highest categories.
Nationwide, 38 House members and four senators earned perfect scores in the 2025 ratings, compared to one representative and one senator in 2024.
An additional 102 House members and 40 senators earned scores between 80% and 99%, qualifying them as Taxpayer Heroes.
At the opposite end of the rankings, 172 representatives and 42 senators received scores of zero percent in 2025.
The ratings also revealed substantial differences in average scores between the parties. Senate Republicans averaged 85%, compared to zero percent among Senate Democrats and Independents. House Republicans averaged 83%, while House Democrats averaged 2%.
The organization reported that Republican averages increased in both chambers compared to 2024, while Democratic averages declined.
CCAGW said its endorsements recognize candidates who have demonstrated a commitment to limiting government spending, opposing additional regulations, and promoting greater accountability in Washington.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
