Jim Click Jr. does more than sell cars. In addition to owning an Arizona car dealership that bears his name, he serves on the board of Compass Bancshares, which bought a bank that he and his cousin, Bob Tuttle, founded 20 years ago. Tuttle and Click are also co-owners of the Tuttle-Click Automotive Group, which operates a chain of car dealerships in California and Arizona. The two are such fervent supporters of the Republican Party that Hoover's Business Network once felt compelled to observe that the men adopt a bipartisan approach to business.
"Despite what you might think," Hoover's wrote, "Tuttle-Click Automotive Group does sell cars to Democrats."
"Yes," Bob Tuttle responded when told of the comment, "but reluctantly."
Click has a Republican heritage at least as respectable as Tuttle, whose father was responsible for convincing Ronald Reagan to run for governor of California in 1966. In particular, the car dealer has been a long and loyal supporter of the Bush family, serving as Arizona finance chairman for President George Bush in 1992 -- a role he reprised for the younger Bush last year. In addition to contributing $255,950 to GOP candidates, he also hosted a fundraiser for Bush and gave $100,000 to help pay for his inauguration.
Proof that campaign contributions aren't everything, Click was once invited to the Clinton White House -- without giving one dime to the Democrats. In June 1999, Bill Clinton presented Click with a President's Award for his work in developing Linkages, an organization that finds jobs for workers with physical and mental disabilities.
-- Pam Smith
