Norquist: Backing carbon tax may cost Dems the presidency

Anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist says the Democratic Party platform’s support for a carbon tax could cripple Hillary Clinton’s chances of winning the presidency.

“When counting to 270 — the number of electoral votes needed to win the presidency — the Republicans may have already won the election in five short words: ‘We oppose any carbon tax,'” Norquist, the president of Americans for Tax Reform, said in a statement.

{mosads}His group, which was founded at President Ronald Reagan’s request, asks lawmakers and candidates to pledge to oppose efforts to raise taxes.

“Note the overlap between new fracking states — Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Colorado — and the swing states to reach 270 for any candidate,” Norquist added.

The Democratic platform, approved Monday, states that “Democrats believe that carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases should be priced to reflect their negative externalities, and to accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy and help meet our climate goals.” This language was added to the platform as a concession to Bernie Sanders supporters.

Clinton has not personally advocated for a carbon tax, but an adviser for the presumptive Democratic nominee said Tuesday that Clinton would be willing to work with lawmakers on such a tax if there was an interest in Congress.

By contrast, the Republican Party platform states that the party opposes a carbon tax. In June, the House approved a resolution to condemn a carbon tax.