Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund Contributing to the Ad, Which Will Run in Richmond Media Market As Part of $140,000 TV Ad Buy
Contribution is Part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s $2.5 Million Effort to Elect a Gun Sense Majority in Virginia’s General Assembly
NEW YORK — Today, Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund announced that it is contributing $50,000 to Debra Rodman’s campaign for Virginia’s 12th Senate District in order to help air a new TV ad in the Richmond media market, which will also be incorporated into Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund’s digital advertising campaign in Virginia’s 2019 elections. The contribution is part of Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund’s $2.5 million effort to elect a gun sense majority in Virginia’s General Assembly — Everytown’s most robust commitment ever in the Commonwealth. In the last two weeks, Everytown has donated $100,000 to Missy Cotter Smasal’s campaign in Virginia’s 8th District, $100,000 to Sheila Bynum-Coleman’s campaign in Virginia’s 66th House District, and $75,000 to John Bell’s campaign in Virginia’s 13th Senate District to support gun safety-themed TV ad buys totaling $600,000.
In the new ad released today, “Goodbye,” Debra Rodman says, “When we say goodbye to our kids in the morning, we worry — not if they’ll finish their lunch or behave in class — we worry if they’ll be safe. I’m Debra Rodman, and that’s why I’m taking on the NRA to pass common-sense gun safety laws like universal background checks. Senator Dunnavant has an A-rating from the NRA. she voted to block universal background checks and block a ban on high capacity magazines. I’m running for state Senate and sponsoring this ad because our kids should come first.”
WATCH: “GOODBYE”
“The stakes in this race couldn’t be clearer or more urgent: Debra Rodman is fighting for common-sense laws to keep Virginians safe from gun violence, while Siobhan Dunnavant voted to block those laws after the Virginia Beach mass shooting,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “Everytown is going all-out to help Virginians elect lawmakers who will take their cues from the people — not the NRA.”
“When I talk to neighbors across Henrico and Hanover, they want to know what we are doing to prevent gun violence,” said Debra Rodman. “We are all frustrated with Virginia Republican’s inaction and cowardice in the face of a gun violence crisis and our current Senator Dunnavant’s refusal to do anything other than vote with the NRA and Republican party line.”
In July, following the mass shooting at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center, Virginia’s Republican-led General Assembly voted to adjourn a special session on gun violence just 90 minutes after it began, without any votes on proposed gun safety legislation, including red flag legislation (also known as extreme risk legislation) and legislation to require background checks on all gun sales.
Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund’s previously announced electoral work in Virginia’s 2019 elections includes:
- A commitment to spend $2.5 million in Virginia’s 2019 elections.
- Launching a $550,000 digital ad offensive in 15 Republican-held districts.
- Contributing $100,000 to Missy Cotter Smasal’s campaign in Virginia’s 8th Senate District, $100,000 to Sheila Bynum-Coleman’s campaign in Virginia’s 66th House District and $75,000 to John Bell’s campaign in Virginia’s 13th Senate District to help air each candidate’s gun safety-themed TV ads. The ad buys totaled $600,000.
- Endorsing 25 candidates — 22 running in the most competitive districts in the commonwealth — and making $113,000 in direct contributions to endorsed candidates.
- Contributing $125,000 to the Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus, $100,000 to the Virginia House Democratic Caucus and $100,000 to Take the Majority (Democratic Party of Virginia).
- Launching $135,000 in digital ads in 14 Republican-held Virginia state-House and Senate districts.
Unveiling results of a battleground message poll, which found gun safety to be a top issue among voters in swing areas of Virginia.