Everytown For Gun Safety Action Fund Announces First Round Of U.S. House Endorsements in 2020 Battleground Districts

Everytown Today Endorsed U.S. House Candidates in Key Battleground Districts, as Well as House Leadership Who Have Championed Gun Safety

New Polling Shows Americans’ Support for Gun Safety Measures Has Surged Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

NEW YORK – Today, Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund endorsed its first slate of candidates for the U.S. House, including 58 candidates running in the most competitive races in the country. Each of these candidates received the Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate Distinction, a prerequisite for being considered for endorsement.

Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and Victory Fund plan to spend at least $60 million on the 2020 elections — double what they spent during the 2018 elections, and more than any gun safety opponent, including the NRA, reported spending on the 2016 elections.

“The data makes one thing crystal clear — gun safety is going to be a winning issue in each and every competitive race this year,” said Charlie Kelly, senior political advisor for Everytown for Gun Safety. “These endorsements are the first step in our election efforts, which will be a devastating one-two punch, combining unprecedented resources and unmatched grassroots power to send gun sense candidates from across the country to Washington.”

“In 2018, the American people elected a gun sense majority to the U.S. House, and Everytown is committed to helping voters expand that majority in 2020,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “In the run-up to November, Everytown will outwork, out-organize, and outspend the gun lobby as part of our all-out effort to elect gun sense champions up and down the ballot.”

“When you’re in a crisis — whether it’s gun violence or the pandemic — you want leaders who take the safety of their constituents seriously,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action. “Each of the candidates we’re endorsing today has demonstrated their support for common-sense gun safety and willingness to fight for our families.”

Polling released last week demonstrates the surging intensity of voters’ support for common-sense gun safety measures during the coronavirus pandemic, with a majority of Americans considering background checks on all gun sales “more important” now than before the pandemic began.

Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund today endorsed the following candidates:

Congressman Tom O’Halleran (AZ-01)
Hiral Tipirneni for Congress in Arizona’s sixth district
Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-05)
Congressman Josh Harder (CA-10)
Congressman TJ Cox (CA-21)
Christy Smith for Congress in California’s 25th district
Congressman Gil Cisneros (CA-39)
Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45)
Congressman Harley Rouda (CA-48)
Congressman Mike Levin (CA-49)
Congressman Jason Crow (CO-06)
Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05)
Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (FL-26)
Congresswoman Lucy McBath (GA-06)
Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer (IA-01)
Congresswoman Cindy Axne (IA-03)
Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06)
Betsy Dirksen Londrigan for Congress in Illinois’ 13th congressional district
Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14)
Christina Hale for Congress in Indiana’s fifth congressional district
Congresswoman Sharice Davids (KS-03)
Congressman Katherine Clark (MA-05)
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (MD-05)
Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin (MI-08)
Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11)
Dan Feehan for Congress in Minnesota’s first congressional district
Congresswoman Angie Craig (MN-02)
Jill Schupp for Congress in Missouri’s second congressional district
Kara Eastman for Congress in Nebraska’s second congressional district
Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01)
Congressman Andy Kim (NJ-03)
Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05)
Congressman Tom Malinowski (NJ-07)
Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11)
Congressman Susie Lee (NV-03)
Congressman Steven Horsford (NV-04)
Jackie Gordon for Congress in New York’s second congressional district
Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08)
Congressman Jerry Nadler (NY-10)
Congressman Max Rose (NY-11)
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (NY-12)
Congressman Antonio Delgado (NY-19)
Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01)
Congresswoman Susan Wild (PA-07)
Congressman Matt Cartwright (PA-08)
Eugene DePasquale (PA-10)
Congressman Conor Lamb (PA-17)
Congressman Joe Cunningham (SC-01)
Congressman Jim Clyburn (SC-06)
Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07)
Wendy Davis for Congress in Texas’ 21st congressional district
Sri Kulkarni for Congress in Texas’ 22nd congressional district
Gina Ortiz Jones for Congress in Texas’ 23rd congressional district
Congressman Colin Allred (TX-32)
Congresswoman Elaine Luria (VA-02)
Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger (VA-07)
Carolyn Long for Congress in Washington’s third congressional district
Congresswoman Kim Schrier (WA-08)

Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and Victory Fund spent $30 million during the 2018 midterms, outspending the NRA for the first time in our history. During that historic election, these investments and support helped flip the U.S. House to a gun sense majority.

In 2018, of the 43 federal races where an Everytown-endorsed candidate faced an NRA endorsed candidate, 77 percent of NRA-backed candidates lost.
Overall, Everytown helped elect 171 gun sense candidates to Congress; 15 gun sense governors;
12 gun sense attorneys general; and 16 Moms Demand Action volunteers and survivors of gun violence. This included now-Congresswoman Lucy McBath who ran proudly as a gun safety advocate in Newt Gingrich’s former congressional district.
Everytown’s investments helped successfully flip key state legislative chambers in Colorado and Minnesota.