Everytown For Gun Safety Action Fund Announces First Round of U.S. Senate Endorsements, Aiming to Flip Senate to a Gun Sense Majority
6.9.2020
Everytown Today Endorsed 11 Gun Sense Champions for U.S. Senate, Including Candidates in Top Senate Battlegrounds
New Polling Shows Americans’ Intensity of Support for Gun Safety Measures Has Surged Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
NEW YORK – Today, Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund endorsed 11 candidates for the U.S. Senate running in several of the most competitive races this cycle. The endorsements include Captain Mark Kelly in Arizona, former Governor John Hickenlooper in Colorado, Senator Dick Durbin in Illinois, Theresa Greenfield in Iowa, Maine Speaker of the House Sara Gideon in Maine, Senator Gary Peters in Michigan, Senator Tina Smith in Minnesota, Congressman Ben Ray Luján in New Mexico, Army veteran Cal Cunningham in North Carolina, Jaime Harrison in South Carolina, and Air Force veteran MJ Hegar in Texas. Earlier this year, each candidate received the Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate Distinction, a prerequisite for being considered for endorsement.
“In 2018, the American people sent a loud-and-clear message to their leaders in Washington and elected a gun sense majority to the U.S. House, but that message has been roundly ignored by the Republican-controlled Senate, which is where gun safety bills go to die,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “Mitch McConnell is the single biggest obstacle to gun safety reform in Washington, so Everytown is going all-in to flip the Senate and elect leaders who will treat America’s gun violence epidemic like the crisis it is.”
“We’re going all-in this cycle to elect a gun sense majority to the U.S. Senate,” said Charlie Kelly, senior political advisor for Everytown for Gun Safety. “Gun safety is now a kitchen table issue and a litmus test for voters who are fed up with Senate inaction. Gun violence prevention is going to be a make-or-break issue for Senate candidates in competitive races across the country.”
“For too long, Senate leadership has stopped critical gun safety bills from passing — even when more than 90% of Americans support the measure,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action. “To the opponents of the incredible candidates we have endorsed today, your days of ignoring America’s gun violence crisis are numbered.”
Polling released last month 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 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.
Last week, Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund endorsed 58 candidates for U.S. House in some of the country’s most competitive districts.
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.