Gowdy Receives 'FreedomFighter' Award

An Upstate congressman is being recognized by an influential right-wing organization for "defending economic freedom."

FreedomWorks, a special-interest group closely aligned with the Tea Party, announced Monday that it had bestowed the organization's first "FreedomFighter Award," to 4th District Congressman Trey Gowdy (R-Spartanburg).

The award is a token of appreciation given to members of the House and Senate who consistently vote in defense of economic freedom.

To qualify for the award, each recipient earned a minimum score of 90 percent on the FreedomWorks Congressional Scorecard during the 2011 legislative session, which often required lawmakers to cast politically unpopular votes to protect liberty and strengthen the economy.

“Rep. Gowdy took a stand against the Washington special interest machine and proved himself a true defender of economic freedom with a score of 95 percent out of a possible 100 on the FreedomWorks Congressional Scorecard," said. FreedomWorks President Matt Kibbe. "We encourage Rep. Gowdy to keep fighting the good fight to protect South Carolina taxpayers, and bring back fiscal sanity and accountability to the federal government.”

The FreedomWorks Congressional Scorecard allows activists to track the votes of Members of Congress on key issues of economic freedom. Users can search by zip code, name, state, political party, or score ranking (highest-to-lowest or vice versa).

FreedomWorks bills itself as a grassroots organization dedicated to advancing the ideas of lower taxes, less government and more freedom.