Everytown For Gun Safety Action Fund Endorses 23 Candidates for North Carolina State House and Senate
8.13.2020
Candidates Endorsed Today are Proven Gun Sense Champions Who Will Fight for Common-Sense Gun Safety Measures in North Carolina
NEW YORK – Today, Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund endorsed a slate of 23 gun sense champions who will fight for gun safety in the North Carolina General Assembly. Each of these candidates received the Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate Distinction, a prerequisite for being considered for endorsement.
“In a move they will regret when they are in the minority next year, Republicans in the North Carolina statehouse chose to push aside much-needed background check and red flag legislation, even though North Carolinians favor stronger gun laws by a six-to-one margin,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “In November, the choice will lie with voters, and Everytown is going all-out to help them flip the legislature and send a gun sense majority to Raleigh.”
“For years, Republican lawmakers have refused to take action to combat our gun violence epidemic,” said Jack Sinclair, a volunteer leader with the North Carolina chapter of Moms Demand Action. “We’re ready to work day-in, day-out to replace them with these gun sense champions who will keep us safe.”
Even in the wake of the shooting at UNC-Charlotte which killed two students and wounded four others, Republican lawmakers in the NC General Assembly have refused to consider life-saving background check and red flag legislation. In a recent Facebook post, Rep. Larry Pittman (R-HD 83) called for police to shoot people protesting against police shootings, who he referred to as “ignorant thugs,” “criminals,” “domestic terrorists,” and “vermin.” To date, leading House and Senate Republicans have not responded to these comments.
State House endorsements include:
- Representative Sydney Batch, District 37
- Representative Christy Clark, District 98
- Emily Nicholson, District 1
- Brian Farkas, District 9
- Virginia Cox-Daugherty, District 12
- Adam Ericson, District 20
- Frances Jackson, District 45
- Jason Cain, District 51
- Nicole Quick, District 59
- Ricky Hurtado, District 63
- Dan Besse, District 74
- Aimy Steele, District 82
- Gail Young, District 83
State Senate endorsements include:
- State Senator Sam Searcy, District 17
- State Senator Michael Garrett, District 27
- Tess Judge, District 1
- Donna Lake, District 7
- Allen Wellons, District 11
- Barbara Yates-Lockamy, District 13
- Sarah Crawford, District 18
- J.D. Wooten, District 24
- Terri LeGrand, District 31
- DeAndrea Salvador, District 39
Polling released in June demonstrates the surging intensity of Americans’ support for common-sense gun safety measures during the coronavirus pandemic, with a significant majority of Americans viewing background checks on all gun sales and disarming domestic abusers “more important” now than before the pandemic began. North Carolina voters support stronger gun laws by a 6:1 margin and rate gun safety as a top priority for the 2020 election. In fact, opposing background checks on all gun sales is the most toxic position a candidate can take among independent voters.
Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and Victory Fund plan to spend $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.