November 7, 2002
Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund supported 23 candidates for the Congress in the recent general election. Eighteen of those candidates were victorious.
GOA generally does not support incumbents (who win over 96% of the time) in elections, making the gains for gun owners all the more remarkable.
In addition, the D.C. area sniper attacks dominated the news in the weeks leading up to the elections, giving opportunistic anti-gunners a national platform from which to push their agenda forward.
The message sent by the American people could not be clearer. The people blame the snipers, not the firearm, for those shootings. And they want the police to continue to go after criminals without the government further restricting the rights of law-abiding gun owners.
Many GOA members are undoubtedly familiar with Colorado State Senator Marilyn Musgrave (R), a proven champion of the Second Amendment.
As a state senator, Musgrave was the prime sponsor of legislation to allow citizens to carry concealed firearms without onerous government-imposed restrictions.
Sen. Musgrave also exhibited that she had the courage of her convictions to take on her own party leadership in fighting gun control at the state level.
Not surprisingly, Marilyn was attacked for her pro-gun position in general, and in particular the support she garnered from GOA members during the campaign. GOA members nationwide contributed tens of thousands of dollars to the campaign, a vitally important part of any electoral win.
State Senator Steve King, Iowa Republican, is another proven leader from the state level.
Widely viewed as the most conservative newly-elected Representative to Congress, Sen. King was a leader in killing anti-gun bills that came before the committee on which he served.
Expect to see the Congressman continue to exhibit that type of leadership in the defense of our gun rights.
Scott Garrett (R-NJ) won an expensive and divisive primary in June, and then was tagged as being too extreme [read: pro-gun] to win in the general election.
As a state representative, Garrett held the "extreme" position that the decent citizens of New Jersey have the right to defend themselves in their homes and elsewhere.
Just weeks before Election Day, Sarah Brady made a trip to the district to hold a rally for Rep. Garrett's anti-gun opponent and to attack Rep. Garrett for being supported by Gun Owners of America.
On election night, 60% of the voters agreed with Scott Garrett that banning guns -- not gun ownership -- is really the extremist position.
Speaking of extremists, this New Jersey district was formerly held by radically anti-gun Republican Marge Roukema, so gun owners not only gained a true friend, but said good bye to a sworn enemy as well.
Pro-gun supporter Rick Renzi (R) won a hotly contested primary in Arizona's newly drawn 1st district. This district was about as even as one could get, having given Bush and Gore each 49% of the vote in the 2000 presidential election.
After beating 6 other candidates in the primary, Mr. Renzi went on to win the general with just under 50% of the vote.
While he has not held previous elected office, Rick is a dedicated friend of the Second Amendment and will be a needed voice on the floor of the U.S. House. Anti-gunners in the Congress will bring up issues such as the renewal of the 1994 Clinton ban on many semi-automatic firearms, so-called ballistic fingerprinting and shutting down gun shows.
In all, GOA's Political Victory Fund helped 16 pro-gun candidates join the ranks in the U.S. House of Representatives.
GOA-PVF also supported Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) and Jim Talent (R-MO), who won their races for U.S. Senate.
Given the tremendous gains made by gun owners, it is not surprising that the folks at the Brady Campaign to Stop Gun Violence, the group formerly known as Handgun Control, Inc., had a long election night.
Each election year, the group comes out with its 'Dangerous Dozen,' those candidates it pledges to work hard to defeat.
Of the 12 candidates listed, eight won their elections, including the top of their list, Scott Garrett.
The candidate the group unquestioningly worked the hardest to beat was Rep. Bob Ehrlich, who was running for governor in the state of Maryland against Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, niece of Senator Ted Kennedy.
As a state with some of the most draconian gun control laws in the country, this was viewed as a good bet for the Bradys.
The attacks against Ehrlich, who is moderately pro-gun, were relentless. Daily anti-Ehrlich radio and television blanketed the state on his gun control record. There were even airplane banners in some parts of the state that read: "Ehrlich Supports Assault Weapons."
The final count in Maryland? Ehrlich 51.3%, Townsend 47.9%.
While the elections are for the most part over, there still are at least two important races taking place in Louisiana.
Under the state's unique election law, all candidates run on Election Day and the top two vote getters, regardless of party affiliation, move on to a runoff election in December if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote.
In the race for the U.S. Senate, incumbent anti-gun Senator Mary Landrieu will face off against Suzanne Haik Terrell. GOA-PVF will work to defeat Sen. Landrieu, which would be the third anti-gun incumbent senator defeated this year (along with Sens. Max Cleland of Georgia and Jean Carnahan of Missouri -- in addition, anti-gun former Vice President Walter Mondale went down in defeat).
In the 5th Congressional District, there is a runoff between pro-gun stalwart Lee Fletcher and Rodney Alexander, who refused to respond to the GOA Candidate Questionnaire.
As you can see, even though the elections are over, GOA-PVF will be busy trying to elect more pro-gun candidates to the Congress.
You can help us in this fight by contributing to the GOA-PVF. Your contribution will enable us to contact as many voters as possible in the state of Louisiana regarding the records and positions of all candidates running.
If you wish to participate in this program, you can send a check made out to GOA-PVF, 8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151.
Contributions are limited to individuals (no corporate checks).
If you can help with a check of $25, $50, or even $100 or more, you can be assured that it will go directly to electing pro-gun stalwarts.
Contributions to GOA-PVF are not deductible for Federal income tax purposes. Federal law requires political committees to report the name, mailing address, occupation and name of employer for each individual whose contributions exceed $200 in a calendar year.
Paid for and authorized by Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund is a project of Gun Owners of America.