Everytown pouring $10 million into midterms

The national gun control organization backed by former New York Mayor Micheal Bloomberg is digging deep this election year.

The group, which has already endorsed incumbent Democrat Governors Andrew Cuomo in New York and Gina Raimondo in Rhode Island, announced Monday that they will be spending as much as $10 million in targeted races in Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, and New Mexico.

“The American people know gun safety isn’t a right-or-left issue — it’s a life-or-death issue that our leaders need to address immediately,” said John Feinblatt, Everytown’s president. “Voters of all stripes want stronger gun laws — and Everytown is going to redraw the electoral map in November.”

Among those Democrats — there are no Republicans or Independents– backed by the group are gubernatorial candidates Stacey Abrams in Georgia, Gretchen Whitmer in Michigan, Nevada’s Steve Sisolak, and Michelle Lujan Grisham in New Mexico. All of the endorsed candidates have run on strong anti-gun platforms to include expanded background checks, waiting periods, and bans on some semi-auto firearms and bump stocks. Sisolak has even gone so far as to promise to work for a ban on suppressors.

Gun violence has taken too many lives, including the 58 lost on 1 October. As governor I will stand up to the @NRA & enact commonsense reforms like enforcing background checks & banning assault weapons, bump stocks, high capacity magazines & silencers #EnoughisEnough #VegasStrong pic.twitter.com/RejAYzLh3Y

— Steve Sisolak (@SteveSisolak) April 13, 2018

Going past the governors’ races, Everytown is writing checks to support two Dems running for state attorney general spots: Aaron Ford in Nevada and Dana Nessel in Michigan.

The $10 million promised is beyond the $1.2 million already spent by the group to secure the Democratic primary for Lucy McBath in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District. McBath has been a senior leader for Everytown and Moms Demand Action for the past half-decade following the high-profile murder of her son and the group has promised to fuel her drive for Washington.

Besides funding ads in support of their endorsed candidates, the group says they are ready to lend feet on the ground as well.

“Across the country, Moms Demand Action volunteers are showing up for candidates who support gun safety,” said Shannon Watts. “We’re registering voters, knocking doors and making calls to get people to the polls to vote for gun sense candidates in November. Make no mistake: a wave of gun sense candidates who support common-sense gun laws is coming.”

Bloomberg, with a net worth of $52.1 billion according to Forbes, has also pledged $80 million this year in an effort to help Democrats take over the House through his Independence USA PAC.

On the other side of the spectrum, the National Rifle Association has been involved in a number of campaigns at the federal level, including a six-figure TV ad campaign against U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, a Montana Dem seen as being in trouble, and a similar effort against West Virginia’s Joe Manchin. Playing the long game, the pro-gun group has also spent over $1 million advocating to put Judge Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court.

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