Tommy Thompson signs anti-tax pledge, files for US Senate

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republican Tommy Thompson says he has signed a pledge not to raise taxes on the same day he filed paperwork allowing his U.S. Senate campaign committee to raise and spend money on his behalf.

Thompson said in an email to supporters on Tuesday that he filed his statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission. That paperwork was due Tuesday after Thompson last month incorporated his campaign committee.

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He has not formally announced his candidacy despite hiring campaign staff, announcing supporters and raising money.

Thompson says he has also signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, created by anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform. It commits candidates and office holders to oppose all net tax increases.

In a release from his campaign, Thompson issued an e-mail to grassroots activists across the state to inform supporters of his FEC filing, and he shared with them his signed “Taxpayers Protection Pledge” from Americans For Tax Reform. Thompson said in the e-mail:

“In all, I cut taxes 91 times. And I’m extremely proud of the fact that I saved taxpayers more than $16 billion through my tax reform initiatives, and during my tenure as governor Wisconsin’s overall tax burden went down. 

But cutting taxes is just half the answer. I used my veto pen a record 1900 times to slash state spending by $287 million. None of my vetoes were overridden.

Barack Obama and Harry Reid have a vastly different idea for your hard-earned money. They want more and more and more.  But I will fight them every step of the way.”