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Americans for Tax Reform commends Ronny Jackson and Josh Winegarner for signing the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, a written commitment to Texas taxpayers to oppose and vote against tax hikes. Jackson and Winegarner face off against each other in the TX-13 congressional district runoff on July 14th, 2020. They seek to replace Pledge signer Rep. Mac Thornberry, who retires at the end of this term. With a PVI of R+33, the winner of the runoff is the heavy favorite to replace Thornberry in January.

In a crowded 15 candidate Republican primary, Winegarner earned 39 percent of the vote with Jackson following up with 19 percent. 

Winegarner, a lobbyist for the Texas Cattle Feeders Association endorsed by incumbent Rep. Thornberry, is seen as someone with government experience. Jackson just concluded a 24-year stint of active duty service in the U.S. military. Additionally, he served in the current administration as President Trump’s physician and has landed President Trump’s endorsement.

There are currently 171 Pledge signers in the U.S. House and 48 Pledge signers in the U.S. Senate. Eighty-nine percent of all congressional Republicans have made the written commitment to oppose higher taxes. In contrast, ZERO congressional Democrats have made that promise. In Texas alone, 48 incumbents and candidates for Congress have signed the Pledge. Candidates running for public office like to say they will not raise taxes, but often turn their backs on the taxpayer once elected. The idea of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge is simple enough: Make them put their no-new-taxes rhetoric in writing, so the promise is much harder to break.

The people of Texas’s 13th congressional district will have a tough choice come mid-July. Either way, the voters know that they will have a taxpayer advocate fighting for them in Washington.