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All North Dakota Republican gubernatorial candidates — Wayne StenehjemDoug Burgum, and Paul Sorum — have signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, a written commitment to state taxpayers. In signing the Pledge, these candidates remain staunch defenders of taxpayers through their commitment to “oppose any and all efforts to increase taxes.”
 
A copy of their pledge to North Dakota taxpayers can be seen here.
 
“It’s a good sign for the North Dakota economy that all three gubernatorial candidates state in writing their commitment to taxpayers to not raise taxes. Now is the time for all pro-taxpayer legislators to make the same commitment. We thank these candidates and urge others to do the same,” said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, a taxpayer group founded in 1986 at the request of President Ronald Reagan.
 
Americans for Tax Reform offers the Pledge to all candidates for state and federal office. In the 114th Congress, 49 U.S. Senators and 218 members of the U.S. House of Representatives are pledge signers. Pledge signers include Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, and GOP Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady are also pledge signers.
 
On the state level, approximately 1,000 incumbent state legislators are Pledge signers. Eleven incumbent governors are pledge signers including Gov. Scott Walker (R-Wis.), Gov. Rick Scott (Fla.), Gov. Nikki Haley (S.C.), and Gov. Pat McCrory (N.C.).
 
Before becoming Attorney General, Stenehjem served two terms in the North Dakota House of Representatives and 20 years in the Senate. During his time in the Senate he was elected President Pro Tempore for the 1999 Legislative Session.
 
Burgum is an entrepreneur and former CEO of Great Plains Software, purchased by Microsoft in 2001. Burgum has founded many successful businesses and in 2009 was awarded the Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award, North Dakota’s highest honor, by then-Governor John Hoeven.
 
Before becoming involved in politics, Paul Sorum taught architectural design at the University of Southern California, worked as a principle architect with a prominent architectural firm in Fargo, and wrote financial analysis software in his spare time for Community First Bank Shares of Fargo. In 2010, Sorum ran for U.S. Senate in North Dakota and in 2012 he ran for governor.
 
The primary is Tuesday, June 14.