ATR Congratulates Pledge Signer Mike Minogue on September 1 Primary 

Americans for Tax Reform congratulates Taxpayer Protection Pledge signer Mike Minogue on his victory in the September 1 Primary for Massachusetts Governor. 

Minogue’s decision to sign the Pledge demonstrates his commitment to taxpayers that he will oppose and vote against all tax increases if ever elected to office. 

Americans for Tax Reform was started by Grover Norquist in 1985, when the Pledge was established to encourage candidates to make this commitment to taxpayers. Since then, the Pledge has grown to include candidates nationwide with more than 1,400 elected officials and candidates at both state and federal levels. 

The Taxpayer Protection Pledge sends constituents a clear message on where candidates stand. It also shows voters how elected officials allocate their hard-earned tax dollars, and of course, whether the government will choose to take more. 

Beyond signing the Pledge, Minogue has made reducing taxes and government spending central to his campaign, arguing that Massachusetts should first address wasteful spending before asking taxpayers for more. Minogue has pointed to what he describes as eight different categories of taxes in Massachusetts and has argued that the state takes more of residents’ income than 90% of the country (Minogue).

Rather than beginning with cuts to essential services, Minogue has proposed bringing in an independent, third-party auditor to review the state’s more than $70 billion budget and identify areas of “waste, fraud, and corruption.” His approach is based on the idea that eliminating unnecessary or inefficient spending should come first, allowing the state to better allocate taxpayer dollars and reduce its overall spending burden. For example, Minogue claimed that $2 billion was spent on a courthouse, and an addition $4 billion was spent on illegal immigrants (Minogue, August 30, 2026).

By identifying where taxpayer dollars are being wasted or mismanaged, Minogue argues that Massachusetts can create the fiscal room necessary to lower taxes without compromising essential government services. In his view, greater accountability over state spending and lower taxes go hand in hand: first determine where taxpayer money is going, eliminate waste, and then return those savings to taxpayers through a lower tax burden (Minogue).