Taxes and Budget

State sales taxes

31 public statements from 2026 candidates

§1The range of views

Why this matters: Sales tax is added to much of what you buy, so it affects everyday costs and how much the state has for schools, roads and other services.

Drafted by AI, then checked for neutral wording in a separate AI review. It describes the question and the main positions, not any candidate's view. Facts link to their sources.

How much a state charges in sales tax on purchases, and which items, such as groceries, clothing or services, are taxed.

  1. Lower sales tax rates or stop taxing necessities such as groceries
  2. Keep current sales taxes
  3. Raise sales taxes or apply them to more goods and services, to replace other taxes or fund state programs

These options describe policies, not people. The order is not a ranking.

§2What candidates have said

Why this matters: Statements candidates made publicly, summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Candidates who haven't spoken publicly on this issue aren't listed.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Lower sales tax rates or stop taxing necessities such as groceries (12)

  • Doug Jones AL Governor
    His campaign website says he would fully eliminate the state sales tax on groceries.1
  • Gary Cordery HI Governor
    His campaign website says he would eliminate Hawaii's general excise tax on food and medicine.2
  • Josh Green HI Governor
    His official biography lists exempting medical services reimbursed by Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE from the state's general excise tax among his administration's achievements.3
  • Juliana Stratton IL Senate
    Her campaign website says that as lieutenant governor she worked with Governor Pritzker to eliminate the state grocery tax.4,5
  • JB Pritzker IL Governor
    His campaign website lists eliminating the state sales tax on groceries among his accomplishments, along with supporting the sales tax exemption for agricultural equipment and keeping it in the state tax code.6,7
  • Cindy Holscher KS Governor
    Her campaign website says she has worked to eliminate the sales tax on food.8
  • Cyndi Munson OK Governor
    Her campaign website says she led the bipartisan effort to repeal the state sales tax on groceries, and would expand the sales tax relief credit.9,10
  • Jerri Green TN Governor
    Her platform calls for ending the sales tax on groceries, diapers and menstrual products, paid for in part by closing corporate tax loopholes.11
  • David Hatley TN Governor
    His campaign website says he would eliminate the state sales tax on groceries and pay for it by cutting waste in the state budget.12
  • Lauren Pinkston TN Governor
    Her campaign website says she supports eliminating the grocery tax, paid for by closing business tax loopholes and keeping shoppers in Tennessee's border counties.13
  • Dave Seeman TN Governor
    His campaign website calls for ending the grocery tax, paid for by closing corporate tax loopholes.14,15
  • Pat Dixon TX Governor
    His campaign website says that once state spending is reduced, the state should lower its sales tax rate to return money to taxpayers.16

Keep current sales taxes (4)

  • Cinde Warmington NH Governor
    Her campaign website says she will make sure New Hampshire does not have a sales tax.17
  • Kelly Ayotte NH Governor
    Her campaign website says there will be no sales tax and that she has vetoed what it calls hidden sales taxes.18,19
  • Stephen Villee NH Governor
    His campaign website says he would veto any sales tax.20
  • Tom Tiffany WI Governor
    His campaign website says he would protect families from further sales tax increases.21

Statements that don't match one option (15)

  • Eric Mulder CO Governor
    His campaign website says cities and counties that meet set measures of economic distress should get a one-year exemption from the 2.9% state sales tax, with local voters deciding whether to replace it with a temporary local tax for stated purposes.22
  • Frank J. Russo FL Governor
    His campaign website proposes a 9.9% consumption tax on spending above $1 million, with the first $1 million exempt, to replace other taxes and fund housing, teachers, health care and skilled trades.23
  • Dean Ocean Abrams FL Governor
    His campaign website says groceries should stay exempt from sales tax and supports expanding sales tax holidays.24
  • Matt Day GA-2
    His campaign website’s American Elder Bill would bar sales taxes on prescription medications for people 65 and older and exempt groceries from sales tax for seniors through a federally issued relief card.25
  • Keisha Lance Bottoms GA Governor
    Her campaign website says she would let cities and counties eliminate or temporarily suspend local sales taxes on groceries and other essentials, and her grocery plan would set up a $250 million fund to help, for one budget cycle, communities whose revenue loss would exceed 5% of their local sales tax collections.26,27
  • Russ Fulcher ID-1
    His campaign website lists among his Idaho Senate accomplishments a grocery tax credit that it says returns more than $100 million to Idaho taxpayers every year.28
  • Pro-Life ID Governor
    His campaign website says tax cuts should start with eliminating the sales tax.29
  • Collin Corbett IL Governor
    His campaign website says he would end the sales tax on essentials such as groceries, diapers and over-the-counter medicine, extend the sales tax to services, and work toward a lower base rate.30
  • J.D. Ford IN-5
    His campaign platform says that while in the Indiana Senate he voted to end the 7% sales tax on utility bills.31
  • Priscilla Gonzalez LA-3
    Her campaign website's Taxes page lists reducing tax rates in all areas, including sales taxes, and also says consumption taxes such as sales taxes and value-added taxes should be substituted for income taxes.32
  • Lynne Walz NE Governor
    Her campaign website says she would oppose new taxes on food, water, medicine and other essentials and oppose ending sales tax exemptions, and would propose a school-supply sales tax holiday in August.33
  • Joseph Lombardo NV Governor
    His campaign website says he will keep his commitment to no new taxes and push for an annual sales tax holiday around back-to-school season.34
  • Kenneth J Block RI Governor
    His campaign website says he would work to significantly reduce the taxes and fees on cell phone service, which it says include the state's 7% sales tax, and to replace any needed revenue with fairer and more transparent sources.35
  • Jermaine Johnson SC Governor
    His campaign website says that in his first term in the state House he passed a bill to lower the sales tax for seniors.36
  • Robert C. Vick TN Governor
    His campaign website proposes a state sales tax holiday or a permanent sales tax cut on energy-efficient home repairs and appliances.37