FreedomWorks Wins Big for Taxpayers in Oregon and North Carolina

FreedomWorks’(http://www.freedomworks.org) grassroots campaigns in Oregon and North Carolina put a stop to tax hikes in both states, and sent a message that citizens are fed up with higher taxes and spending.

In Oregon, State Director Russ Walker and the Taxpayer Defense Fund, FreedomWorks’ affiliated state political action committee, led a grassroots campaign to defeat Measure 50, a $200 million tax hike on the November 6th ballot. Through a massive outreach campaign of email alerts, direct mail, phone banks and door-to-door , FreedomWorks reached over one million voters in Oregon with our message against the tax increase.

Walker commented, “This defeat for tax hikes highlights the fact that taxpayers are in no mood to raise taxes when the state is sitting on a several billion dollar surplus.

The defeat of Oregon’s Measure 50 is possibly the most significant barometer of the national mood. In a state that was thought to be favorable ground to nationalized health care, voters overwhelmingly rejected increasing taxes to fund government run health care.”

In North Carolina FreedomWorks members led the battle to defeat the dreaded land transfer tax in 8 counties around the state. FreedomWorks efforts were highlighted by the Asheville Citizens Times, The Smoky Mountain News, The Winston-Salem Journal and other local media outlets.

State Director Allen Page led the effort to place hundreds of phone calls, thousands of emails, letters to the editor and old-fashioned shoe-leather politics in the counties facing the tax hike. Page commented, “This shows that even though counties put the issue on the ballot when they knew turnout would be low, the taxpayers came out strongly against the tax hikes. Voters here are not interested in higher taxes, but want to see governments at every level cut spending.”

FreedomWorks President Matt Kibbe added, “Politics goes to those that show up. This time, the taxpayers in Oregon and North Carolina showed up, took on the tax hikers, and won. It just goes to show how unpopular the tax increase agenda is these days. This is a clear bellwether that should emboldened small government conservatives heading into 2008. Voters want candidates and legislators to tackle problems with existing government resources, not new taxes.”