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One of America’s oldest and boldest gun violence prevention organizations announces third slate of endorsements to Virginia's General Assembly
Washington, D.C., September 26, 2019 — In addition to the recent endorsement of 30 candidates to Virginia’s General Assembly, the gun violence prevention organization Brady is proud to expand our endorsements to 18 new gun violence prevention champions to the Commonwealth of Virginia. Our newest endorsements include:
House of Delegates: Jennifer Carroll Foy (HD 2), Elizabeth Guzman (HD 31), Mavis Taintor (HD 33), Kenneth Plum (HD 36), Kaye Kory (HD 38), Vivian Watts (HD 39), Mark Sickles (HD 43), Patrick Hope (HD 47), Rip Sullivan (HD 48), Sally Hudson (HD 57), Karen Mallard (HD 84), Ibraheem Samirah (HD 86), Cia Price (HD 95), and Dr. Mark Downey (HD 96)
State Senate: Jennifer McClellan (SD 9), Jeremy McPike (SD 29), Barbara Favola (SD 31), and George Barker (SD 39)
Brady President and Virginia native Kris Brown said the following:
“More than 100 days have passed since the Commonwealth witnessed the devastating Virginia Beach shooting, where a dozen people were shot and killed by a gunman. Another 79 days have lapsed since the state legislature refused to take even the smallest actions that would not only honor the victims, but also ensure the safety of all Virginia families. Well here’s another number, and perhaps this one will get our legislator’s interest — there are only 41 days until Virginians go to the polls on November 5. The time is now to replace the lawmakers who refused to act with 18 gun violence prevention champions. We need to elect candidates that represent the majority of Virginians who demand common-sense gun safety legislation."
The November 5 election in Virginia is the only election in the country in which control of the state legislature is up for grabs. Currently, the Virginia Senate is controlled by a republican majority of 21-19 and the House follows with a Republican majority of 51-49. According to a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll, the majority of Americans — including key voters across party lines — support common-sense gun safety legislation, like expanded background checks and extreme risk protection orders.
Brady has long prioritized a comprehensive approach to preventing the epidemic of gun violence — a strategy now being adopted by a growing number of candidates in state, congressional, and presidential elections nationwide. This is the third slate of Brady-endorsed candidates to the Commonwealth alone, bringing the total to 51 gun violence prevention champions. Brady has also expanded endorsements outside of Virginia to candidates running for the U.S. Senate, including Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN), Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM).
Brady is proud to endorse and work with gun violence prevention candidates throughout this election and beyond. Further endorsements will be announced in the weeks 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.