A move to end the estate-tax is luring new adherents in the 2010 midterm campaign, turning permanent repeal into a negotiating stance for future congressional wrangling over taxes.

More than 250 current congressional candidates, mostly Republicans, have signed a pledge this year to support elimination of the tax, according to the advocacy group sponsoring the effort. The signers include 53 incumbents and more than half of Republicans running for House and Senate. During the 2008 elections, when the group first began seeking supporters, only 30 candidates signed up.