Incumbent Democrats Supporting Gun Control Win; Those Appeasing Gun Lobby Lose

Nov 3, 2010
Source: Brady Campaign 

Washington, D.C. - Twenty-seven Democratic members of the U.S. House of
Representatives who were endorsed by the National Rifle Association were
defeated yesterday, while only two incumbent Democratic House members who
co-sponsored a major gun control bill this session lost their re-election
bids.

Of the 49 Democratic incumbents who lost, 29 (59 percent) had an A rating
from the NRA and 25 (51 percent) received financial support from the NRA. Of
the 176 incumbent Democrats who won reelection, 145 (82 percent) did so
without the NRA endorsement.

In contrast, only two of the 101 Democratic House incumbents who
co-sponsored legislation to close the gun show loophole lost yesterday.
Those losses were offset by Democratic House seat pickups by gun control
supporters in Louisiana and Hawaii.

“The election returns should send a clear message to the Democratic Party:
appeasing the gun lobby had little political benefit,” said Paul Helmke,
President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. “Many Democrats
who carried the NRA’s water in the House, like Travis Childers of
Mississippi, Zack Space of Ohio and Rick Boucher of Virginia, were rejected
by the voters.”

Nor did the NRA’s money provide much help to Democratic incumbents. When
push came to shove, the NRA spent nearly all its money on electing
Republicans, not supporting Democrats. According to a Brady Campaign
analysis, of approximately $6.8 million in NRA independent expenditures this
year, more than 96 percent was spent to help Republican candidates.

“On the gun violence issue, the Democratic leadership has too often been
paralyzed by the perceived need to protect the NRA stalwarts in their
caucus,” Helmke said. “Now we see that appeasing the gun lobby did
Congressional Democrats little good, while Democratic candidates supporting
common sense gun restrictions won overwhelmingly. This attempt to placate
the NRA meant that we just lost another two years in dealing with the plague
of gun violence that takes too many innocent lives.”