(Chuck Muth) – To be honest, we should have honored Grover Norquist with our annual “Reagan Legacy Award” years ago. But, hey, better late than never, right?
So as Grover would say, ONWARD . . .
Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) was on C-SPAN this week and said the following about President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and DOGE…
“They are not trying to make the government become more efficient and effective. They’re trying to make it weaker. It is Grover Norquist, come to life in a real-life horror movie. He is trying to make the government small enough so he can drown it in a bathtub.”
FACT CHECK: True!
That alone warrants the “Reagan Legacy Award.” But there’s so much more.
For decades, Grover has been a central figure in the conservative movement.
He has dedicated his life to fighting against higher taxes, pushing for smaller government, and protecting the legacy of President Ronald Reagan.
Best known as the founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), Grover created perhaps the most influential pledge in American politics – the Taxpayer Protection Pledge.
This pledge is simple but powerful: elected officials promise, in writing, that they will never raise taxes. It’s become a litmus test for conservative candidates and a major force in shaping Republican tax policy.
Over the years, Norquist has convinced thousands of politicians to sign the pledge, including nearly every Republican member of Congress.
The pledge has stopped tax hikes in their tracks and kept fiscal conservatism at the heart of the GOP’s platform.
Critics argue that the pledge has made it harder to compromise on budgets, but Norquist and his supporters see it as a necessary check against wasteful government spending.
But Norquist’s work doesn’t stop at fighting taxes.
Early Years: A Conservative from the Start
Grover’s journey into politics started long before ATR.
Born on October 19, 1956, in Sharon, Pennsylvania, he grew up in a solidly middle-class family.
His interest in politics developed early. As a teenager, he volunteered for Richard Nixon’s 1968 presidential campaign – a sign of his early commitment to Republican principles.
He attended Harvard University, where he earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in economics.
While at Harvard, he became deeply involved in conservative politics, serving as head of the school’s Republican Club and forging connections with future political leaders.
After college, he worked with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and became a key strategist in Ronald Reagan’s 1980 presidential campaign.
During Reagan’s presidency, Norquist helped push for historic tax cuts and free-market policies. This experience shaped his belief that lower taxes and smaller government lead to economic prosperity.
By 1985, Norquist was ready to make an even bigger impact.
That year, he founded Americans for Tax Reform, launching the Taxpayer Protection Pledge and setting the stage for a decades-long fight against big government.
Reagan Legacy Project
In 1997, Norquist launched the Ronald Reagan Legacy Project with a bold goal: ensuring that Reagan’s name is honored in every county across America. The project pushes for roads, buildings, schools, and even mountains to be named after the 40th president.
“Reagan was the greatest president of the 20th century,” Norquist has said. “We must make sure future generations remember his leadership, his principles, and his victories over big government.”
So far, the effort has been successful.
Dozens of places have been named after Reagan, including Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Virginia and Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in California.
Internationally, places as far as Poland, Hungary, and Georgia have named streets and statues in Reagan’s honor.
But in Nevada, efforts to name a landmark after Reagan have been stymied.
Although the Nevada Board of Geographic Names approved naming a peak at the top of Frenchman Mountain just east of Las Vegas “Mount Reagan” over ten years ago, making it official has been blocked by Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) in Congress.
Though the fight over Mount Reagan has stalled, efforts to honor Reagan continue. Norquist remains committed to his goal of seeing Reagan’s name in every county in the country.
Norquist’s Lasting Influence on Conservative Politics
Even beyond the Reagan Legacy Project, Norquist remains a towering figure in conservative politics.
His weekly Wednesday Meetings in Washington, D.C., bring together conservative lawmakers, strategists, and activists to coordinate efforts on tax policy, election strategy, and conservative priorities.
Over the years, Norquist has built alliances across the conservative movement, working with groups like the National Rifle Association (NRA), the American Conservative Union, and various free-market think tanks.
While critics on the left paint him as a rigid ideologue who refuses to compromise, Norquist’s supporters see him as a principled defender of taxpayers.
His famous line – “I don’t want to abolish government. I just want to shrink it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub” – perfectly sums up his belief in limited government and lower taxes.
Not sure Reagan could have said it any better himself.
And for that and many other reasons, Citizen Outreach is proud to honor Grover Norquist with this year’s “Reagan Legacy Award.”
