Conservatives Slam GOP Chris Jacobs’ Backing of Never Trumpers, Tax Hikes

New York State Senator Chris Jacobs hopes to capture the state’s 27th congressional district Republican nomination, but his campaigning with a Never Trump Republican, his refusal to back then-candidate Donald Trump during the Republican presidential primary, and his voting for tax increases in the state Senate might jeopardize his chances of getting reelected.

New York state Sen. Jacobs serves as one of the many Republican congressional primary candidates for New York’s 27th congressional district seat after former Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY) resigned after accusations of insider trading.

The conservative Club for Growth Action group launched NeverTrumperChrisJacobs.com and launched an ad, claiming that Jacobs campaigned with Never Trump Republican Bill Weld as well as refusing to back President Donald Trump in 2016. Jacobs also ran as Weld’s running mate when Weld ran for governor in New York in 2006.

Club for Growth Action President David McIntosh said in a statement in October:

Chris Jacobs is neither a conservative nor a good fit for the district, and there are several conservative options available in the race that are better than Jacobs. From his support of higher taxes and radical environmental handouts to his campaign with Never-Trumper Bill Weld and refusal to back President Trump in 2016, Jacobs is wrong for New York’s 27th Congressional District.

Watch the Club for Growth Action ad entitled “Trust,” here:

The Club for Growth Action ad cites a September 2016 interview in which Jacobs declines to answer whether he supports then-candidate Trump’s candidacy for president.

During the 2016 Republican primary campaign, Jacobs donated to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), former New York Gov. George Pataki, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s presidential campaigns, but not then-candidate Trump.

The New York state Sen. Jacobs also, in August 2017, criticized President Trump’s decision not to declare the opioid crisis a “national emergency.

Jacobs, on his campaign website, described himself as a “conservative reformer” and “small businessman;” however, much of his voting record would suggest the opposite.

Much of state Sen. Jacobs’ career in the New York Senate has been raising taxes and hiring fees, and voting for legislation that has been opposed by New York conservatives.

State Sen. Jacobs voted for the 2018-2019 budget, which made him one of the “highest-paid state lawmakers in the country.”

S. 7059 also includes a provision that would raise fees on ride-sharing services in Manhattan, New York.

The law would eventually raise their current salary of $79,500 per year to $110,000 in 2019, $120,00 in 2020, and $130,00 in 2021.

Jacobs also voted for S. 2007B, an omnibus spending bill that featured a three-year extension of about roughly $5 billion in healthcare taxes.

One report in 2018 revealed, “Services like Uber and Lyft face a surcharge of $2.75 per ride, taxis face a $2.50 surcharge, and services like Via and UberPool operating shared vehicles will be charged a $0.75 fee per customer.”

The New York Business Council said they opposed the extension of the taxes of the Health Care Reform Act (HCRA) because it would raise premiums for the average family. They wrote:

The Business Council strongly opposes S.2007/A.3007 Part H which, without any analysis of need whatsoever, extends the provisions and associated taxes of the Health Care Reform Act (HCRA) for three years, through March 31, 2020. The surcharges and assessments (taxes) on health insurance, dating back to the Health Care Reform Act (HCRA) in 1996, amount to an annual tax of over $5 billion on employers and individuals who purchase health insurance. With no appreciable value-add, these taxes add well over $1000 per premium for the average family buying a policy in New York. These taxes far exceed national averages and other New York State taxes on employers and employees.

Jacobs also voted for S. 2003 in 2017, which provided aid to organizations affiliated with Planned Parenthood. The New York state senator provided aid to organizations such as the Planned Parenthood Health Services of Northeastern New York and the Planned Parenthood of Niagara Country, New York.

The New York state Sen. also voted for other provisions that conservatives have opposed, including:

• A ban on e-cigarrettes on school grounds.
• A moratorium on siting or transporting of liquified or petroleum gas in New York City.
• An alternative fuel and electric vehicle tax credit.
• A bill that would make it more difficult to receive a firefighter certification.
• A bill that increases the requirements to become a registered nurse in New York.
• A bill to limit the influence of police reports by allowing for other official documents instead of police reports for compensation for rape, sexual assault, child abuse, and domestic violence.
  • The Conservative Party of New York said this would open “the possibility for fraud.”

As New York voters continue to consider whom to vote for during New York’s 27th congressional district GOP nomination, they will have to consider whether they will want to back a candidate with a history of voting for tax increases and of lax support for the president, or another candidate who could better represent the district’s conservative values.