It seems that every two years, I, along with many others, pronounce that the next election is the most-important one ever; even more so when the election determines who will be president. And, considering all elections have consequences, virtually every election really is incredibly important.
That said, forgive me for stating what is likely obvious to most readers when I say this one feels very different.
It is not hyperbole to say that Joe Biden is the most-anti-Second Amendment president this nation has ever seen. In his one term of occupying the White House, he has tried to do more damage to our inherent freedoms as law-abiding gun owners than any other president since the 1960s, when it became obvious that certain anti-gun elites determined that our right to keep and bear arms must be eradicated.
Then came that train-wreck of a performance by Biden during his first debate with Donald Trump in late June. Now, the NRA has been pointing out Biden’s obvious shortcomings when it comes to his cognitive abilities ever since he announced he wanted to be president in 2019, and we have pointed out what seemed obvious to anyone paying attention—that his mental decline has continued, unabated, while in office.
Although his handlers and the Biden-friendly media tried to hide the steep decline in Biden’s mental and physical capacities over the last several years, that horrific debate performance laid bare the truth: Joe Biden cannot possibly serve another four years. This, along with other factors, led him to drop out of the race.
So, rather than talk to you about the importance of electing Donald Trump on Nov. 5 right now, let me tell you about some critical U.S. Senate and gubernatorial races where I know who the candidates will be.
Getting a pro-gun majority in the U.S. Senate is a close second in my list of priorities, right after retaking the White House. Anti-gun extremist Chuck Schumer (D) holds the reins of power with his razor-thin majority of Democrats, so if we can flip a handful of seats to Republican, it will make it far easier to derail anti-gun legislation; not to mention making it easier to appoint judges who support the original intent of the Second Amendment should Donald Trump retake the White House.
In West Virginia, Gov. Jim Justice (R) is seeking to fill the seat that will be open due to Joe Manchin’s (I) decision not to seek reelection. Manchin was a lifelong Democrat until earlier this year, when he became an independent, but he continues to caucus with Democrats. Gov. Justice has signed numerous bills into law that protect and expand the rights of law-abiding gun owners over his two terms. Among the NRA-supported bills he has signed into law are campus carry, protection of gun rights during a declared state of emergency and easing the impediments to law-abiding gun owners who are visiting West Virginia to lawfully carry firearms for self-defense. Jim Justice is the clear choice to serve West Virginia in the U.S. Senate for any voter who cherishes the Second Amendment, which is why he was awarded an “A+” grade by the NRA Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF), along with an endorsement.
Montana will likely be a close, hard-fought U.S. Senate race. Tim Sheehy, the Republican nominee, will face off against incumbent Jon Tester (D). Tester often gives lip-service to supporting the Second Amendment, but he has been a consistent vote for Joe Biden’s agenda, including voting for the misnamed Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), the law that Biden has misused to have his Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) attempt to rewrite federal law to criminalize most private firearm transfers.
Tim Sheehy is a former Navy SEAL Officer who has pledged his commitment to the Second Amendment. Having risked his life to defend our country—resulting in multiple combat decorations, including the Bronze Star with Valor for Heroism in Combat and the Purple Heart—Sheehy can be counted on to defend our right to keep and bear arms in the U.S. Senate.
Another tight race will be in Ohio, where anti-gun incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) will be challenged by Bernie Moreno (R). Brown has been a consistent vote for anti-gun legislation for more than three decades in Congress and has been endorsed by gun-ban organizations like Giffords. Moreno, on the other hand, has earned the NRA-PVF endorsement, and pledges to “(v)igorously defend our constitutional rights, especially the Second Amendment” as one of his priorities on his campaign website.
These are just some of the critical races where gun owners need to step up and have their voices heard. We will be letting you know about pro-freedom candidates.
Moving just east, to Pennsylvania, we have yet another tight U.S. Senate race, pitting anti-gun incumbent Bob Casey (D) against pro-gun challenger Dave McCormick (R). Once again, Casey is endorsed by gun-ban organizations like Giffords, while McCormick has earned the NRA-PVF endorsement. While Casey may once have been considered a moderate on guns, for more than a decade he has consistently voted for, as well as introduced, anti-gun legislation, including calling for a ban on semi-automatic firearms. According to The Washington Post, his conversion to being fully anti-gun came after pressure from his wife and daughter, not his constituents.
In stark contrast, McCormick states on his campaign website that he “is a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and believes law-abiding citizens have an individual right to own firearms for self-defense, hunting, collecting, and sport-shooting, for any lawful reason, and neither Congress nor the states can take that away.” Another battle-tested veteran of our armed forces, McCormick understands better than most that firearms are integral to preserving life and liberty.
Moving west, to Nevada, you might notice a bit of a trend continuing from the last three races discussed. It’s a tight U.S. Senate race where an anti-gun incumbent is facing a pro-gun challenger. This contest is between Sen. Jacky Rosen (D) and Sam Brown (R). Once again, incumbent Rosen is endorsed by radical anti-gun groups like Giffords, while challenger Brown is endorsed by NRA-PVF. Rosen supports gun-control legislation, such as banning semi-automatics, while Brown’s campaign website makes clear his support of law-abiding gun owners, noting, “The Constitution unequivocally guarantees our right to bear arms.” Another similarity to two of the four previously mentioned races is that Brown is a military veteran. And, like Tim Sheehy in Montana, Brown is a Purple Heart recipient.
The final Senate race I’ll discuss here breaks the anti-gun-incumbent trend. Moving southeast of Nevada, we come to the great state of Texas, where Sen. Ted Cruz (R) is running for reelection. Most readers know that Cruz is one of the most-strident defenders of the Second Amendment serving in the U.S. Senate. His opponent, Colin Allred (D), is endorsed by Giffords, and has consistently voted for the Biden anti-gun agenda while serving in the U.S. House, including voting for a ban on commonly owned firearms and magazines.
Cruz, of course, is the exact opposite of Allred on guns. Consistently endorsed by NRA-PVF (including this year), he has drafted or supported countless bills that defend the Second Amendment, worked against countless others that would undermine our gun rights, and, when President Trump was in office, Sen. Cruz helped guide hundreds of pro-Second Amendment judges through the Senate approval process—most notably, Trump’s three Supreme Court nominees.
There are several more states I am closely watching that will have competitive Senate races this cycle, but as I write this, they have yet to hold their primaries to determine the candidates for the general election.
Moving from U.S. Senate races to gubernatorial races, I’ll mention two. The first is in North Carolina, where the current anti-gun governor is term-limited out and Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R) is seeking to become arguably one of the most pro-Second Amendment governors in the country.
Robinson burst onto the political stage when, speaking as a citizen, his pro-freedom comments to the Greensboro City Council went viral among the pro-gun community in 2018. He then firmly grasped the mantel as a national champion of our right to bear arms when he spoke to fellow NRA members at the 2018 NRA Leadership Forum, then was elected in 2020 as Lt. Gov., his first elected office.
His ascent over the past six years has been nothing short of remarkable. As a fervent patriot and defender of freedom, he took the courageous step to run for office, emerged victorious, and has ceaselessly upheld his solemn pledge to defend the rights of law-abiding gun owners ever since. Mark Robinson has NRA-PVF’s highest accolade, the “A+” rating, and our full endorsement for his gubernatorial bid.
Josh Stein (D), Robinson’s opponent, is a long-time anti-gun politician, and is, of course, endorsed by Giffords.
In another West Virginia contest, NRA-PVF has endorsed Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (R) in his bid to become the state’s next governor. His leadership on firearm rights litigation has been unwavering, having been involved in more than 20 consequential cases, including the landmark Second Amendment case NYSRPA v. Bruen, and the First Amendment case of NRA v. Vullo.
Like Robinson in North Carolina, Morrisey has earned an “A+” rating and the NRA-PVF endorsement.
These are just some of the critical races where gun owners need to step up and have their voices heard. I hope to cover more in the next issue of our magazines, but please also keep an eye out for other communications from NRA. As we do every election cycle, we will be letting you know about the pro-freedom candidates all gun owners need to support.
