Indiana U.S. Senate candidate Richard Mourdock has signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. Mourdock, who is currently State Treasurer, will face off against longtime incumbent Senator Richard Lugar in the Republican primary. Lugar, who is running for his seventh term, is the Senate’s most senior Republican.

For the Democrats, the only announced candidate is U.S. Congressman Joe Donnelly. Donnelly’s congressional district has recently been redrawn to make the Republican-leaning district difficult to hold onto, nudging him into the Senate race.

Although Pres. Obama won the state in 2008 with 49.9% of the vote, the state is considered a Republican haven. In 2010, Republican Dan Coats was elected to his Senate seat by 15 points. No Democrats Challenged Lugar in 2006 and he won with 87% of the vote. Pres. Bush won the state handily with 60% and 56% of the vote in 2004 and 2000, respectively.

By signing the Pledge, Mourdock commits to the taxpayers of Indiana that he will “oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates for individuals and/or businesses … and oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates.”

Upon Mourdock signing the Pledge, ATR’s President Grover Norquist had this to say:

I want to congratulate Mr. Mourdock for taking the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. The American people clearly showed their displeasure last November with the tax-and-spend policies coming from Washington. They want real solutions that create jobs, cut government spending, and get the economy going again.

Richard Lugar is currently not a signer of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. ATR urges him to consider making this vital commitment to taxpayers.

Indiana Senate Candidate Richard Mourdock signs the Taxpayer Protection Pledge

WASHINGTON, DC— State Treasurer Richard Mourdock has signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge in his race for Indiana’s U.S. Senate seat. The Pledge, sponsored by Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), commits signers to “oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates for individuals and/or businesses … and oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates."

ATR has offered the Pledge to all candidates for federal office since 1987. To date, 41 U.S. Senators and 236 members of the U.S. House of Representatives have signed the Pledge. Additionally, thirteen governors and over 1,200 state legislators have signed the Pledge.

“I want to congratulate Mr. Mourdock for taking the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. The American people clearly showed their displeasure in November with the tax-and-spend policies coming from Washington. They want real solutions that create jobs, cut government spending and get the economy going again,” said Grover Norquist, president of ATR.

“By signing the Pledge, Richard Mourdock demonstrates that he understands the problems of hard-working taxpayers nationwide, but especially the taxpayers of Indiana.”

“I challenge all candidates for federal office to make the same commitment to taxpayers by signing the Taxpayer Protection Pledge today,” Norquist continued.

[PDF of Press Release]