Elizabeth Rochford and Mary O’Brien, Everytown-Supported Gun Sense Candidates, Win in Illinois
11.9.2022
Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and Everytown for Gun Safety Illinois Spent More Than $700,000 in Illinois and Michigan this Election to Support State Supreme Court Candidates
Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action Volunteers Made Over Six Million Voter Contacts to Support Gun Sense Candidates Across the Country
SPRINGFIELD — Everytown for Gun Safety Illinois and Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund, and its grassroots networks, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, declared a major victory today as voters elected Elizabeth Rochford (District 2) and Mary O’Brien (District 3) to the Illinois Supreme Court.
“The dangerous rulings coming from the U.S. Supreme Court make it all the more important that we elect state judges like Elizabeth Rochford and Mary O’Brien, who respect the people’s right to protect themselves from gun violence,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “The gun safety movement’s success hinges in part on electing judges who understand that the Second Amendment and common-sense gun laws go hand in hand.”
“We are at a critical juncture in the history of this nation and our judicial system plays a key role in how we will keep our families and communities safe,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action. “Illinois has made incredible progress on gun safety, and with the election of Judges Elizabeth Rochford and Mary O’Brien to the Supreme Court of Illinois, Illinoisans have ensured their judicial branch will provide fair and impartial rulings on these laws.”
“Electing Illinois Supreme Court judges, like Elizabeth Rochford and Mary O’Brien, that will issue fair and impartial rulings on gun safety issues is an important part of addressing our country’s gun violence crisis and ensuring our state’s strong gun safety laws stay intact,” said Valerie Burgest, a volunteer with the Illinois chapter of Moms Demand Action whose son, Craig Williams, was shot and killed when he stopped at a store to buy gum on December 28, 2013. Craig’s murder remains unsolved. “Illinois has been a leader in passing gun safety legislation, and with gun sense champions Elizabeth Rochford and Mary O’Brien have been elected to the bench, we are one step closer to ending gun violence.”
Everytown spent more than $700,000 in Illinois and Michigan this election to support State Supreme Court candidates, including Elizabeth Rochford and Mary O’Brien. Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers made over six million calls and texts to support gun sense candidates in Illinois.
Read more about Everytown’s electoral engagement in Illinois this cycle.