Gun control group pumping money into swing-state races

Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun control group founded by former presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg, is planning to spend $45 million in several swing-state contests.

The group endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president last week.

“With MAGA Republicans pushing an extreme ‘guns everywhere’ agenda, this election is a life-or-death moment — so Everytown is going all-out to mobilize the majority of Americans who want to live free from the fear of gun violence,” Everytown for Gun Safety President John Feinblatt said in a statement to the Washington Post. “From sending Vice President Harris to the Oval Office to helping our own volunteers win office, we’ll elect gun sense champions up and down the ballot.”

Those eight states are Arizona, California, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The effort will focus on younger voters, voters of color, and suburban women, with new field offices in Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. About 80% of the money will go to television and digital advertising.

The influx of money is a boon to Democrats, who have already seen massive gains since Harris took the mantle as Democratic nominee. The excitement around a new nominee has helped Harris and Democrats close the money gap former President Donald Trump had opened over President Joe Biden following his convictions in New York.

A full list of candidates the group supports with the money will be released in the coming weeks. Some of the money is expected to support local candidates the group has recruited through its “Demand a Seat” program, which encourages activists and survivors of gun violence to run for public office.

Bloomberg has donated $19 million to Future Forward, a super PAC backing Harris, and is known for being a prominent Democratic donor.

The gun control group opposed Trump in the 2020 cycle, pledging to spend $60 million to defeat him and elect gun control-supporting Democrats.