WASHINGTON —In GOP activist circles, it is known simply as the pledge, and over the past 25 years, it has become the essential conservative credential for Republicans seeking elective office.
Of the 242 Republicans serving in the House of Representatives, all but six have signed the the anti-tax pledge. But an increasing number of Republicans running for Congress this year are declining to sign it.
It is a small sign that could signal a big shift in the GOP’s politics on taxes amid spiraling national deficits.
Of the 25 candidates this year promoted by the National Republican Congressional Committee as “Young Guns” and “Contenders” — the top rungs of a program highlighting promising candidates challenging Democrats or running in open seats — at least a third have indicated they won’t sign the Norquist pledge.
All four of Colorado’s Republican congressmen have signed the anti-tax pledge. Two Republican candidates for Congress, Robert Blaha in the 5th Congressional District and Joe Coors in the 7th, report they have not yet been invited to sign the pledge. Their campaigns said the candidates haven’t reviewed the pledge and therefore declined to say whether they would sign it.
Anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist, who authored the pledge, insists Americans for Tax Reform, the group he founded in 1986, is ahead of schedule in collecting pledge signatures from congressional candidates for the year. But among Republican challengers, there are defections.
What is the pledge for tax reform?
Authored by anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist, the Americans for Tax Reform pledge compels candidates to resist any effort to raise tax rates for individuals and businesses. The candidates also pledge to oppose the elimination of tax credits and deductions unless they are matched dollar-for-dollar with other tax cuts.
