Everytown for Gun Safety Announces Nearly $700k Direct Mail Campaign in 15 GOP-Held Virginia House, Senate Districts

NEW YORK — Today, Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund announced a $690,000 direct mail campaign in 15 Republican-held Virginia House and Senate Districts as part of Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund’s $2.5 million spending effort in Virginia’s 2019 election — Everytown’s most robust commitment ever in the Commonwealth.

The spending includes roughly $530,000 in direct mail from Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund, and roughly $160,000 in direct contributions to the campaigns of Sheila Bynum-Coleman, who is challenging Speaker Kirk Cox in HD-66; Missy Cotter Smasal, who is challenging Senator Bill DeSteph in SD-8; and Debra Rodman, who is challenging Senator Siobhan Dunnavant in SD-12. The contributions support gun safety-themed direct mail pieces in each of their respective campaigns.

The direct mail will include 75 mail pieces across 15 districts, including: HD-27; HD-28; HD-40; HD-66; HD-76; HD-81; HD-83; HD-84; HD-91; HD-94; SD-7; SD-8; SD-10; SD-12 and SD-13. Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund has endorsed the Democratic challengers in each of those races.

“The Republican majority in the General Assembly failed the Commonwealth after the Virginia Beach mass shooting. Now it’s the voters’ turn to hold them accountable,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “With less than four weeks until the election, Everytown is pulling out all the stops to elect a gun sense majority that will pass common-sense gun laws to keep Virginians safe. For NRA-backed politicians up in 2020: this is just a preview of what’s to come.”

Examples of some of the mail pieces are below:

• Letter from Brenda M., a Virginia gun violence survivor, highlighting Virginia Republican Politicians inaction on gun safety
• Sheila Bynum-Coleman mail piece, highlighting Speaker Kirk Cox calling the special session to address gun violence after the Virginia beach shooting “an election-year stunt”
• Debra Rodman mail piece, highlighting Senator Siobhan Dunnavant’s ‘A’ rating and endorsement from the NRA, and her vote to block gun safety legislation during the special session
• Missy Cotter Smasal mail piece, highlighting how Senator Bill DeSteph registered to sell guns out of his Senate office, and voted to block gun safety legislation during the special session

Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund’s previously announced electoral work in Virginia’s 2019 elections includes:

• A commitment to spend $2.5 million in Virginia’s 2019 elections.
• Launching a $550,000 digital ad offensive in 15 Republican-held districts.
• Contributing $100,000 to Missy Cotter Smasal’s campaign in Virginia’s 8th Senate District, $50,000 to Debra Rodman’s campaign for Virginia’s 12th Senate District, $100,000 to Sheila Bynum-Coleman’s campaign in Virginia’s 66th House District and $75,000 to John Bell’s campaign in Virginia’s 13th Senate District to help air each candidate’s gun safety-themed TV ads. The ad buys totaled $600,000.
• Endorsing 25 candidates — 22 running in the most competitive districts in the commonwealth — and making $113,000 in direct contributions to endorsed candidates.
• Contributing $125,000 to the Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus, $100,000 to the Virginia House Democratic Caucus and $100,000 to Take the Majority (Democratic Party of Virginia).
• Launching $135,000 in digital ads in 14 Republican-held Virginia state-House and Senate districts.

Unveiling results of a battleground message poll, which found gun safety to be a top issue among voters in swing areas of Virginia.

About Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America

Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America is a grassroots movement of Americans fighting for public safety measures that can protect people from gun violence. Moms Demand Action campaigns for new and stronger solutions to lax gun laws and loopholes that jeopardize the safety of our families. Moms Demand Action has established a chapter in every state of the country and, along with Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Students Demand Action and the Everytown Survivor Network, it is part of Everytown for Gun Safety, the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country with nearly 6 million supporters and more than 350,000 donors. For more information or to get involved visit www.momsdemandaction.org. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MomsDemandAction or on Twitter at @MomsDemand