Everytown For Gun Safety Action Fund Endorses Rep. Abby Finkenauer, Rep. Cindy Axne for U.S. House
5.28.2020
Rep. Abby Finkenauer and Rep. Cindy Axne Are Gun Sense Champions Who Will Fight for Common-Sense Gun Safety Measures in Congress
New Polling Shows Americans’ Support for Gun Safety Measures Has Surged Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
NEW YORK – Today, Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund endorsed Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer for Congress in Iowa’s first congressional district and Congresswoman Cindy Axne for Congress in Iowa’s third congressional district. Both of these candidates received the Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate Distinction, a prerequisite for being considered for endorsement.
Reps. Finkenauer and Axne have championed gun safety in the U.S. House, including voting for H.R. 8, which would require background checks on all gun sales, and H.R. 1112, which would address the “Charleston Loophole.”
“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.”
“When I think of gun sense champions, I think no further than Congresswomen Finkenauer and Axne,” said Michelle Henderson, a volunteer with the Iowa chapter of Moms Demand Action. “They have continued to fight to protect Iowa families from gun violence — and we’ll work tirelessly from now through November to send them back to Washington.”
State polling shows that 75 percent of Iowans support extreme risk laws, and that Iowa voters generally support stronger gun safety laws by a 3:1 margin. In a national survey of 2,500 likely voters, 85 percent of respondents favored Congress passing an extreme risk bill, as well as 78 percent of gun owners. In February, prior to the pandemic, Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund launched a $250,000 digital ad campaign to call on Iowa legislators to pass an extreme risk bill.
Polling released last week 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.
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.