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Republican U.S. Rep. Renee Ellmers a liberal? Who knew?

The congresswoman from Dunn, who is serving her second term representing the state's 2nd Congressional District, is on the list of Republicans that the limited government, low-tax group Club for Growth wants out.

The Club for Growth has Ellmers on its PrimaryMyCongressman website, where people are supposed to suggest primary opponents for Republicans elected to Congress scoring below 70 percent on the Club's scorecard. The site criticizes Ellmers for siding with House GOP leadership too often.

Tagging Ellmers as a Republican In Name Only seems to conflict with a recent National Journal assessment, which said she was the 43rd most conservative U.S. House member. The National Journal scored her as more conservative than Republican House colleagues Virginia Foxx, Patrick McHenry, Howard Coble and Walter Jones.

Ellmers easily survived a primary last year on her way to winning a re-election.

The 8th Congressional District was already one of the biggest recipients of outside money in North Carolina. Now it's one of the biggest in the country. 

Today a group called the American Action Network is dropping $300,000 into TV ads targeting Republican Scott Keadle. He faces Richard Hudson in Tuesday's GOP runoff.

Four North Carolina Republicans have sworn off federal earmarks.

Sen. Richard Burr and Reps. Patrick McHenry, Virginia Foxx and Walter Jones agreed not to ask for specific spending projects in federal bills when contacted by the conservative Club for Growth. 

They are among six senators and 17 representatives who pledged to "swear off pork," in the words of the Club for Growth.

All four agreed to a similar pledge in 2008. 

The Club for Growth is targeting U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole.

The free-market group is spending $250,000 on radio and television spots against Dole and five other senators over a bill that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

"Congress is at it again. This time, they're pushing massive new taxes and regulations in the name of global warming," says the narrator of the ad over dramatic music.

The ad then cites a study commission by the National Association of Manufacturers which found that the state could lose 146,000 jobs per year and see a 135 percent increase in electricity prices

Dole, who is running for re-election this year, is a co-sponsor of the measure sponsored by Sen. Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, and Sen. John Warner, a Virginia Republican.

"Call Sen. Elizabeth Dole today," the narrator says. "Tell her to vote no on the Lieberman-Warner climate bill. North Carolinians just can't afford another huge costly government program."

Update: Dole was one of the original co sponsors of the legislation that would rely on a "cap and trade" program to give American companies a financial incentive to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, Rob Christensen reports.

Dole has also been subject to an automated telephone calling campaign by a group financed by coal companies according to Elizabeth Ouzts of Environment North Carolina.

She said environmentalists thnink the Lieberman-Warner bill does not go far enough and provides too many financial incentives to companies.

A transcript after the jump.

A blogger for the anti-tax Club for Growth included U.S. Sen. Richard Burr on a list of potential vice presidential candidates for John McCain.

As far as the Burr Veep Watch goes, that doesn't mean much, since the list includes 32 other potential vice presidents, "some common and some uncommon."

Still, Burr scored well, considering the list was centered around the pick's age. He is 52.