Everytown For Gun Safety Action Fund Endorses Rep. Sean Casten, Rep. Lauren Underwood, and Betsy Dirksen Londrigan for U.S. House
5.28.2020
Rep. Sean Casten, Rep. Lauren Underwood, and Betsy Dirksen Londrigan 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 Congressman Sean Casten for Congress in Illinois’ sixth congressional district, Betsy Dirksen Londrigan for Congress in Illinois’ thirteenth congressional district, and Congresswoman Lauren Underwood for Congress in Illinois’ fourteenth congressional district. Each of these candidates received the Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate Distinction, a prerequisite for being considered for endorsement.
Reps. Casten and Underwood 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.” Betsy Dirksen Londrigan is running on a gun safety platform that includes support for background checks on all gun sales and other common-sense gun safety measures.
“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 energy to send gun sense candidates from across the country to Washington.”
“For the past two years, Illinois has had the benefit of having Congressman Casten and Congresswoman Underwood fighting for our communities against a formidable public health crisis — gun violence,” said Ellen Gibson, a volunteer with the Illinois chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Illinois Moms Demand Action volunteers will continue to do everything possible to send them back to the Capitol come November — along with Betsy Dirksen Londrigan.”
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 election.