More Virginia Pro-Gun Candidates Smeared by NAGR

Late last week we reported on a campaign mailer that a group known as the National Association for Gun Rights dropped in the 12th Senate District.  Bearing Drift reports that 12th District GOP candidate Bill Janis is not the only candidate in Virginia targeted by NAGR's smears.

But this cheap campaign trick is something to expect from the NAGR. The NAGR has posted negative and  false Facebook posts about the following elected officials in Virginia:
Speaker Bill Howell
Delegate Mark Dudenhefer
Delegate Chris Head
Former Delegate Bill Janis
Senator John Cosgrove
Senator Emment Hanger 

What do all of these gentlemen have in common? They were all endorsed by the National Rifle Association for the June 9th primary. These  smear campaigns are not about Virginia, nor any of these elected officials.

One of those candidates (Hanger) that is supposedly "hiding something" as NAGR puts it, was the sponsor of the bill in 2010 that repealed the ban on carrying concealed in restaurants that serve alcohol.

Yes, conservatives have some issues with several of the incumbents that Bearing Drift lists as having been on the receiving end of NAGR's smears.  Most of these have to do with having supported expanding Medicaid in Virginia under Obamacare (Hanger) and supporting Governor Bob McDonnell's transportation taxes (Howell).  But NRA and VSSA are both single issue groups and that issue is firearms freedom.  Everyone of the candidates on the list has strong pro-gun voting records and that is the only thing on which NRA and VSSA endorsements are based.  But that doesn't matter to NAGR.

The NAGR is desperate for attention and money. The NAGR doesn’t bother to look at the records of the politicians they endorse, they just pick the NRA’s candidate and oppose them.

Don't be fooled by false smears from a group more concerned about raising money than protecting your rights.

Why Mark Warner is Still Popular

Yesterday was the annual Wakefield Shad Planking. For those not familiar with the event, The Wakefield Ruritan Club has hosted The Planking since 1949 on the wooded property of the Wakefield Sportsmen's club near Route 460 in Sussex County, Virginia, about an hour southeast of Richmond and an hour west of Virginia Beach. It is held on the third Wednesday in April each year.  Originally an all Democrat, all male, all white event, today it is overwhelmingly Republican and open to all interested in drinking free adult beverages and eating shad -- the oily, bony fish smoked for the occasion on wood planks over an open flame.  It's a place for candidates to see and be seen and for the politically active to renew old friendships and talk about the likely winners and losers of the year's coming campaign season. 

U.S. Senator Mark Warner was yesterday's featured speaker and Bearing Drift notes that even though Warner has become uncomfortable talking about his support for Obamacare, he at least should be given credit for doing something that the last two statewide Democrat candidates decided not to do, show up.  Warner hasn't abandoned what go him elected in 2001 - going to rural Virginia.

And Warner played his usual "bipartisan" self in his remarks to the assembled crowd:

“Today, we’re not Democrats or Republicans; we’re Virginians and Americans, first and foremost,” Warner said, thanking the Wakefield Ruritans for raising money for rescue squads, Little Leagues and scholarships.

“Of course, looking at this crowd, I realize I’m here as an endangered species, a Virginia Democrat,” he added, pausing a bit for the laughter to subside.

“Looking around the crowd, that’s kind of like Republican women here as well — not many of either one of us,” Warner said, smiling to a burst of energetic female screams meant to prove him wrong. “I knew I’d get ’em,” he said.

Shows why even with Ed Gillespie raising over $2 million over the last 75 days, why he has an uphill battle unseating Warner this year.

Looking at Turnout for Hints of Results

The Washington Post reports that "early turnout is strong" without giving and indication of what "strong" means. No where does it say if strong means similar to last year's massive turn out, or if strong means higher than in 2009.

But in Brian Schoeneman, a member of the Fairfax County Election Board is posting his visits around the county on Twitter and is reporting at least one precinct has seen only about a 20% turn out so far.

Just left Langley and Chain Bridge precincts. About 20% turnout at Langley and 574 voters at Chain Bridge. Also waved at @LukeRussert here

— Brian W. Schoeneman (@BrianSchoeneman) November 5, 2013

If turn out across Northern Virginia remains this low, T-Mac may have something to be worried about.

Hat tip to Bearing Drift.

McAuliffe Doesn't Care What Gun Owners Think

Last night during the final debate between Virginia's candidates for Governor, we heard something very familiar from Terry McAuliffe when he answered a question about gun control ("I support the Second Amendment, I'm a hunter..."), and we heard something new - that he doesn't care what gun owners think.  Well, not in so many words, but that's what he meant.  He said he doesn't care what the NRA thinks, but the NRA isn't the building or staff in Fairfax County, VA. The NRA is you and me.  Without gun owners joining the organization, there would be no NRA.

Shaun Kenny over at Bearing Drift put it this way:

Keep this in mind folks. No Democratic candidate for governor has ever won on a platform that has embraced the national Democratic position on the Second Amendment.

Mark Warner had to cave on firearms.
Tim Kaine had to cave on firearms.
Creigh Deeds had to cave on firearms.

Terry McAuliffe intends to use Virginia as a platform to show the rest of blue America how he can use Washington-style politics to radically change Virginia’s laws and traditions. ”I don’t care what grade I got from the NRA” was an unmistakable middle finger to 2A supporters everywhere… and this in the birthplace of Patrick Henry and the Gunpowder Incident, folks.

So, are we going to let McAuliffe be the first candidate to openly run on gun control and win?