On Tuesday, Virginia and New Jersey voters elected newly-minted gun sense governors who made standing up for gun safety laws a central plank in their public safety platforms. This common-sense approach to safer communities stood in stark contrast to President Trump’s chaos and over-the-top rhetoric about rampant crime. The results show that voters saw through the smoke screen, and once again rejected gun extremist MAGA candidates.
In Virginia, gun sense lawmakers won up and down the ballot, led by former Moms Demand Action volunteer Abigail Spanberger at the top of the ticket. In addition to flipping the governor’s mansion, gun sense candidates grew the majority in the House of Delegates, with big help from Moms Demand Action volunteers-turned-candidates, who will make up 20% of the historic incoming House Democratic majority.
These results, along with new Everytown polling conducted on Election Day, offer valuable insights into how Americans are thinking about gun safety and crime, and how candidates can take advantage of the political strength of this issue in swing districts.
Abigail Spanberger Leads Wave of Moms Demand Action Volunteer Victories, as Gun Safety Once Again Proves Politically Potent in Virginia
Tuesday’s election was yet another good night for gun safety in the NRA’s home state of Virginia. Abigail Spanberger handily won her race for governor, leading a wave of Moms Demand Action volunteers elected to state and local office. As one of the top outside spenders for her campaign, Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund ran a $1 million paid media campaign to support Governor-elect Spanberger, with ads that highlighted her record of championing public safety. Additionally, Everytown invested $400,000 in key state legislative battleground districts, running ads highlighting how MAGA opposition to common-sense gun safety laws puts our communities at risk. Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers contacted nearly 250,000 Virginia voters since April.
Here are some of the highlights:
- Former Moms Demand Action volunteer Abigail Spanberger was elected governor
- All 13 Moms Demand Action volunteers won their races for the House of Delegates, flipping four seats
- Former Moms Demand Action volunteers now make up 20% of the historic Democratic House majority
These successes were made possible in no small part by Everytown Victory Fund’s Demand a Seat educational program that trains grassroots volunteers and gun violence survivors to run for office and work on campaigns. First launched in 2021, Demand a Seat has trained nearly 600 Moms Demand Action volunteers who have gone on to win elected office.
Election Day Polling Offers Key Insights to Virginia Electorate
Everytown conducted a statewide poll of Virginia voters November 3 – November 5 to capture voter sentiment on gun safety and crime on Election Day in order to evaluate the efficacy and impact of our paid media campaigns. The results underscore the political strength of the issue and found the combination of emphasizing MAGA opposition to common-sense gun safety laws contrasted with Democratic support for specific gun safety policies proved particularly effective in making Virginians less likely to vote for Republican candidates. The full poll memo can be found here.
Here are some of the highlights:
- Abigail Spanberger flipped the script on crime, with voters trusting her far more than Winsome Earle-Sears to keep families safe (60%-35%) and uphold law and order (59%-36%). Spanberger also was more trusted by voters to take on violent crime (55%-40%) and support law enforcement (54-40%), eliminating the Republican Party’s historic advantages on these issues.
- 75% of voters said a candidate’s position on guns was important to their vote choice and 45% of voters reported seeing or receiving information about the candidates’ positions on guns. Of those who saw media related to gun policy, 55% were more likely to vote for the Democrat while only 33% were more likely to vote for the Republican.
- 84% of Virginia voters would like gun laws to be made stronger or kept as they are now, rather than weakened as Republicans are pushing for.
- An overwhelming bipartisan majority of Virginians support safe storage laws (93%), background checks on all gun sales (92%), prohibiting domestic abusers from buying firearms (89%), and Red Flag laws (87%). Support for an assault weapons ban is at 69%.
- Permitless concealed carry is a political loser, with only 19% of Virginians in favor.
Using Gun Safety to Flip the Script on Crime Messaging
Crime and public safety was once again a top issue for Virginia voters, with nearly 75% saying a candidate’s position on guns is highly important to their vote. Virginians also supported prioritizing gun safety over gun rights by a more than 2 to 1 margin. This dynamic presents a ripe opportunity for gun sense candidates heading into the midterms.
As we have seen time and again, the candidates who are fear mongering the loudest about crime often support policies that make it easier for guns to end up in dangerous hands, and harder for law enforcement to keep communities safe. Our research consistently finds that when candidates in battleground districts go on offense and highlight MAGA opposition to common sense gun safety policies, they can defuse misleading attacks, while addressing the real concerns voters have about public safety. This strategy is especially powerful when paired with paid media highlighting the candidate’s own record of supporting policies that will keep communities and law enforcement safe from gun violence.
Everytown’s Virginia program built on this messaging research, combining statewide ads highlighting Spanberger’s law enforcement background and record on public safety with battleground district ads focused on how the MAGA agenda would make it easier for children, dangerous people, and violent criminals to access guns. Our Election Day poll found Everytown’s messaging proved effective, with a majority of voters saying they were less likely to vote for Republicans based on what they saw and heard from the paid media campaign.
This message frame continues to be both persuasive and motivating with key voters, especially in the suburban districts that will decide the 2026 midterms. By flipping the script, gun sense candidates can insulate themselves from misleading “soft on crime” accusations while putting our opponents on defense.
NRA AWOL as Political Comeback Misfires
In this year’s Virginia elections, the NRA was looking to turn the page on their dismal showing in 2023. Under the new leadership of chief executive officer and executive vice president Doug Hamlin, the NRA boasted of “deploying staff and resources to push pro-gun candidates in Virginia to victory,” claiming they were “pounding the pavement,” and “working tirelessly.”With the NRA describing the Virginia gubernatorial race as “a referendum on the Second Amendment” and the stakes being deciding between “freedom and control,” what was the grand total of their statewide investment? As of last week, just over $31,500. Everytown is on track to outspend the NRA 55 to 1 in the Virginia elections.