Lauer Inks Tax Pledge

(Rob Lauer for Congress) – When asked if he would pledge to stop a tax hike on working Nevadans, Rob Lauer didn’t blink.

This week, the Republican candidate for Congressional District 3 swiftly signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, and the move immediately caught the attention and public support of a key Nevada lawmaker. Nevada Assemblyman Ed Goedhart is breaking ranks with some members of the state’s Republican leadership by endorsing Rob Lauer for June’s Republican primary election rather than Lauer’s opponent, Joe Heck.

In a statement issued this week, Goedhart applauded Lauer’s decisive position on lower taxes and his dedication to conservative values.

“Rob Lauer will demand that the bloated federal government get its priorities and budget back on a path of fiscal responsibility,” Goedhart said. “He will cut both taxes and spending by reducing the scope, size and reach of the federal government. He will return freedom to individuals, businesses and states to manage their own affairs and grow the private sector economy. Rob Lauer realizes that we cannot maintain our American sovereignty and world stature without fiscal sustainability.”

Goedhart followed up his endorsement of Lauer’s candidacy with a sizable campaign contribution.

The Taxpayer Protection Pledge is a pledge championed by the non-partisan group Americans for Tax Reform. It states opposition to any increase in income tax or decrease in deductions or tax credits, unless otherwise matched by other tax reductions.

Lauer’s name joins hundreds of other conservatives who have promised to take a stand against tax hikes on working Americans. Lauer said, “This pledge proves what I mean when I say I am a conservative first, and a Republican second.”

Lauer notes that, according to reports published by The Las Vegas Review Journal and The Las Vegas Sun, this is the same pledge that his primary challenger, Joe Heck, had refused to sign earlier this year. Lauer says that in September, political pressure from conservatives and tough questions from the media finally forced Heck to sign the pledge and face the tax-increase debate that he had been avoiding for months.

Heck’s change of heart coincided with his change in political ambitions. After polling with less than 3% support in the Republican field of gubernatorial candidates, Heck dropped out of the governor’s race and announced a run for the congressional seat currently held by Congresswoman Dina Titus.

Lauer said that for him, the decision to oppose tax hikes is principled and pragmatic, and he is puzzled by Heck’s reluctance to fight for Nevadans who are struggling to make ends meet.

“My opponent’s record on taxes and his refusal to make a simple pledge for taxpayer relief speaks for itself,” Lauer said. “Heck is not the fiscal conservative he wants us to believe he is. Heck fooled Nevadans once with his empty promises not raising taxes while he was in the State Legislature. This time, the voters are on to him.”

Lauer says Heck has a fundamental misunderstanding of tax policy, especially as it relates to economic growth. In March, Heck told The Las Vegas Review Journal “Companies aren’t going to move [to Nevada] just because we have a good tax climate.”

“My own staff can disprove that,” Lauer said. “Before coming on board with the campaign, my campaign manager assisted eight companies in relocating from California to Nevada, and each of those companies cited lower taxes as the reason for the move.”