While I’m not a fan of Grover Norquist, I do appreciate his Americans for Tax Reform’s work each election cycle to get candidates on the record regarding tax increases. It’s not the be-all-and-end-all, but it does indicate to voters where candidates stand in terms of big government and taxation. The Hill reports:
The Taxpayer Protection Pledge is maintained by Grover Norquist’s group, Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), and has been signed by the majority of Republicans in Congress. The group says it has shared the pledge with all candidates running for federal office since 1986.In separate statements, Norquist said their signatures show Paul and Cruz continue “to protect American taxpayers against higher taxes.”Signing the pledge could help the senators draw a contrast with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who is expected to also launch a presidential bid and is considered a leading candidate for the GOP nomination.
Ted Cruz tweeted a photo of himself signing it to underscore his seriousness:
According to NBC, Marco Rubio, who signed the pledge in 2009, has yet to sign it, Chris Christie has never signed it, and Jeb Bush has said that he will not sign any pledges:
The only other Republican candidate in the race, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, has not yet signed the pledge. He did sign it when he was running for the senate in 2009.Cruz and Paul’s signatures is an(other) area where they have separated themselves from Bush. Bush’s spokesperson, Kristy Campbell, told ABC News in February, “If Governor Bush decides to move forward, he will not sign any pledges circulated by lobbying groups.”While many Republicans sign it at both the state and federal level, Bush didn’t sign it as governor of Florida either.As president, his father, George H.W. Bush, raised taxes after pledging during his campaign that he wouldn’t. He lost his re-election to Bill Clinton.New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has also never signed it but Americans for Tax Reform, Norquist’s organization, says that Christie gave and kept a verbal commitment to follow it.Governors Scott Walker, Bobby Jindal and Rick Perry have all signed and kept the pledge, according to Americans for Tax Reform.
Rand Paul has a new YouTube channel on which he provides position statements on a number of issues. Here’s his statement about taxes:
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