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Gun violence prevention organization endorses 16 elected officials and candidates
Washington, D.C., June 4, 2018 - As voters across the country #WearOrange in honor of Gun Violence Awareness Month, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence announced a set of endorsements for gun safety champions at the federal and state level in California and New Jersey ahead of Tuesday’s primary elections. These 16 candidates join the seven previously announced endorsements by the organization.
The Brady Campaign officially endorsed two candidates for Senate:
- Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
- Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
Further, Brady endorsed 10 candidates for the House of Representatives:
- Bryan Caforio (D-CA-25)
- Gil Cisneros (D-CA-39)
- Josh Harder (D-CA-10)
- Andy Kim (D-NJ-3)
- Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-CA-47)
- Dave Min (D-CA-45)
- Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA-52)
- Katie Porter (D-CA-45)
- Harley Rouda (D-CA-48)
- Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ-11)
Brady also endorsed four candidates for office at the state level:
- Teresa Barrett for Mayor of Petaluma, CA
- Sunday Gover for CA Assembly D77
- Genevieve Jones-Wright for San Diego County District Attorney
- Jennifer Longdon for Arizona State House District 24
“From coast to coast, we’re seeing unrivaled energy and passion from candidates and voters alike when it comes to preventing gun violence,” stated Avery Gardiner, co-president of the Brady Campaign. “We’re so impressed by these diverse and remarkable elected officials and candidates, many of whom have consistently stood with us over the years to work towards a safer America. We’re nearly 150 days out from the midterm elections, and we’re going to win.”
This election cycle, the Brady Campaign is focused on working with and supporting candidates throughout the country who are committed to preventing gun violence. A heavy focus is on whether candidates support Brady’s three-point plan, including expanding background checks, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and passing extreme risk laws.
A resurgent Brady PAC is supporting candidates who commit to making gun violence prevention a top priority and is working to replace candidates who refuse to prioritize the safety of the American public. Brady is doing so through the candidate endorsement process and holding candidates accountable to their questionnaire answers. Brady PAC will target races across the country in support of such candidates, especially in those races targeting candidates who put gun industry profits before the safety of their constituents.
Brady is also focusing heavily on voter registration, including of young voters through its youth initiative, Team ENOUGH. The student-led group will be holding voter registration events throughout the summer and will work to educate and mobilize high school and university students from now until November. The group is also inviting students across the country to form their own Team ENOUGH groups and host nonpartisan candidate forums.
Last November’s elections in Virginia and New Jersey, where multiple Brady-backed candidates won on a clear platform of gun safety, demonstrated that voters are engaging on the issue and are rejecting those supported by the NRA. And with recent polling showing that half of Americans want gun safety to be Congress’s top priority, it’s clear that this issue will be a leading one throughout the 2018 campaign.
Further endorsements will be announced in the weeks and months to come.
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Brady has one powerful mission — to unite all Americans against gun violence. We work across Congress, the courts, and our communities with over 90 grassroots chapters, bringing together young and old, red and blue, and every shade of color to find common ground in common sense. In the spirit of our namesakes Jim and Sarah Brady, we have fought for over 45 years to take action, not sides, and we will not stop until this epidemic ends. It’s in our hands.