More Than 3,000 State and Federal Candidates Received the Distinction This Cycle
NEW YORK – Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund today released the results of its 2018 electoral “Gun Sense Candidate” distinction program. In all this cycle, more than 3,000 candidates have sought and received a Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate distinction demonstrating their commitment to run on their gun violence prevention credentials. More than half of these candidates are women and one in five is a person of color.
From mid-February through mid-October, volunteers from Moms Demand Action, a part of Everytown for Gun Safety, have been distributing questionnaires to candidates across the country and educating them on key policies and what it means to be a Gun Sense Candidate.
Incumbents, challengers or open seat candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, State Senate, State House, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives were eligible.
Candidates have been proudly displaying their “Gun Sense Candidate” distinctions in ads, mailers and on social media.
Gun Sense Candidate Distinction Program Highlights:
2,225 Active Candidates
- 91 percent of primary races where a Gun Sense Candidate was running saw a Gun Sense Candidate advance
- Candidates in 48 states have received the distinction
- Three of the top five states that are home to the most distinctions — Florida, Missouri and Michigan — voted for President Trump in 2016
- 53 percent are in red states and 47 percent are in blue states
- More than 53 percent are women
- One in five distinction holders are people of color
- At least one in ten Gun Sense Candidates self-identified as gun owners or living in gun-owning households
- More than 170,000 people have visited our Gun Sense Candidate Lookup Tool
STATEMENT FROM JOHN FEINBLATT, PRESIDENT OF EVERYTOWN FOR GUN SAFETY:
“When we debuted the gun sense distinction back in February, we were hoping 500 candidates would apply. Instead, it sold like hotcakes, and the reason is simple: More candidates than ever realize that speaking up for gun safety is both the right thing to do and a winning message.”
STATEMENT FROM SHANNON WATTS, FOUNDER OF MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA:
“In red, blue and purple states, Moms Demand Action volunteers have shut down the NRA’s dangerous agenda. Our coalition of average Americans demanding better gun laws is now more powerful than the gun lobby. That’s why so many candidates have sought our gun sense distinction and are prioritizing gun safety in their policy platforms. Gun politics in America have changed: not only does gun safety not prevent candidates from winning – it actually gets voters to the polls.”
