The political arm of Everytown for Gun Safety plans to spend $9 million to boost Democratic candidates in state legislative contests in five states, the group's first investment in such races this election cycle.
The investment, first reported by NBC News, will be directed primarily toward digital and TV ads in state House and Senate races in Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. Partisan control of at least one legislative chamber in each of those states is up for grabs in November, with the fate of a litany of hot-button issues — including gun safety — on the line along with it.
The announcement is part of Everytown's broader $45 million spending plans up and down the ballot.
“So much of the national progress we’ve made on gun safety can be traced back to pioneering laws passed at the state level,” Everytown for Gun Safety President John Feinblatt said in a statement.
“Over the last few election cycles, Everytown has built a winning playbook for electing gun sense champions in key state legislative seats in order to flip chambers and pass life-saving legislation,” he added. “In the runup to Election Day, we’re going all-out to make sure voters know which candidates will prioritize keeping their schools and communities safe from gun violence — and which candidates are putting them at risk by standing in the way.”
In Arizona, where Republicans hold narrow majorities in the House and the Senate, Everytown is running an ad against Republican Pamela Carter, who is competing in a four-way race in a suburban Phoenix district.
In Michigan, where Democrats hold narrow majorities in both legislative chambers, the group has launched an ad against Republican candidate Ron Robinson, who is running against Democrat Nate Shannon in a Detroit-area district race.
And in Minnesota, where Democrats are defending the state House, the group is running an ad backing Democrat Julie Greene, who is seeking a vacant Minneapolis-area seat against Republican Owen Michaelson.
Everytown's campaign is just the latest by outside groups looking to help Democrats flip or keep control of legislative chambers in key battleground states.
The States Project, a Democratic-aligned group, plans to spend $70 million on state legislative races in nine states this cycle, while Forward Majority, a Democratic super PAC, plans to spend $45 million. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee is aiming to spending $60 million on such races, while the Democratic National Committee and the American Civil Liberties Union are also pumping money into those contests.
