Big City Chiefs Push More Gun Control As Solution to Rising Crime

A couple days ago D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier hosted fellow chiefs from Chicago, Atlanta, Baltimore and other cities to discuss their rising violent crime.  The Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA) convened the meeting after a survey of its members showed police in many cities are seeing more crimes committed with firearms and more killings.  According to the Washington Post, which ran a story on the meeting, four of the nation’s largest cities — New York, Chicago, Houston and Philadelphia — recorded a rise in homicides by mid-July compared with the same period in 2014.  That same Post report noted, unsurprisingly, that those in attendance want to push for more gun control to respond to the problem:

Among the recommendations that came out of the summit, the chiefs called for more stringent gun laws, including harsher penalties for gun crimes and the use of high-capacity magazines.

“We’re going to shooting scenes now where you’ve got more and more victims being shot, you’ve got more spent rounds being collected as evidence and we’re finding more and more high-capacity magazines involved in these shootings,” Manger said.

Yesterday, the Atlanta Chief of Police George Turner spoke to NPR, and he pointed to the real problem - a small number of repeat offenders. This at a time when President Obama and Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, among others, want to roll back many tough on crime measures that were put in place in the 90s.

Chief Turner hit the nail on the head when he talked about repeat offenders - people that should be in prison but aren't. On Monday, Cherylyn Harley LeBon, contributing fellow at the National Center for Policy Analysis, discussed the increase in violent crime in Baltimore and other U.S. cities with NRANews' Cam Edwards.  The city of Baltimore has seen a record number of homicides this year, 189 by the end of July. July 2015 was the single deadliest month in 43 years.

The solution is not more gun control, it is more criminal control.

McAuliffe Says He will Sign Sunday Hunting Bill

Yesterday, the Virginia Senate passed the House bill allowing hunting on private property on Sunday.  The News and Advance reports that a spokesman for Governor Terry McAuliffe said the Governor will sign the bill.  This is good news and a change of position as reported by the Free Lance Star earlier this year:

The last two governors said they supported Sunday hunting on private land, but candidate McAuliffe stated in our interview with him last October that he favored the status quo. Sources, though, say a veto would be unlikely.

The news of the bill's passage cheered the pro-Sunday hunting folks who have been working on this for years, but really stepped up their lobbying this year.  This victory was achieved when they were able to get the bill assigned to the House Agriculture Committee instead of the killing field of the subcommittee that had deep-sixed the bill the last several years.  The News and Advance caught of with one hunter that will be impacted by the bill and he sounded happy about the vote:

The vote cheered hunters in the Roanoke Valley, including Daniel Hartman, 16, an avid baseball player who was looking at guncleaning supplies at Roanoke’s Sportsman’s Warehouse on Tuesday evening with his father. 

“Once I started playing travel ball, I noticed I wasn’t getting much hunting time,” said Daniel, who lives in Roanoke County and does much of his hunting on family land.

There is possibly another benefit this new law will have not only for hunters, but all Virginians, courtesy of Mark Holmberg at CBS6 back in November..

Wonder if Bloomberg Was Disappointed in Terry McAuliffe

Did not see any mention of gun control among the priorities McAuliffe outlined in his address to a joint session of the General Assembly last night. He talked about reforming Virginia's education accountability system, expanding Obamacare to include Virginia's Medicaid enrollment, giving in-state tuition to the children of illegal aliens. But no mention of gun control. We'll see if he tries to put the weight of his office behind the growing list of gun controls bills that continue to be introduced in both chambers.

A Governor, a Governor-elect, and Beretta

South Carolina's Governor, Nikki Haley, made a litte firearm related news over Christmas. News Channel 3 in Hampton picked up this story from CNN on one of Governor Haley's Christmas presents:

“Our family had a wonderful Christmas together! I must have been good. Santa gave me a Beretta PX4 Storm,” Haley said in an Instagram post that included a photo of the weapon.

Virginia Governor-elect Terry McAuliffe on the other hand recently made different headlines related to Beretta.  Emily Miller reported this past Monday that Beretta has crossed Virginia off it's short list for re-location:

“The anti-gun ads that McAuliffe ran in northern Virginia were particularly offensive,” Jeff Reh, general counsel of Beretta USA, told me in an interview. “And the fact that he could gain a voting advantage by doing so caused us additional concern.”

McAuliffe claimed his experience as a business man would make him the best person to continue Governor Bob McDonnell's job creation record but it seems he has already had a negative impact even before taking office.

Gun Ban Lobby Takes Note of Pro-Rights Success

NPR has this story today about the gun ban lobby learning from the pro-rights successes in 2013. As most of these stories do, the author points to the money that NRA can raise and spend on protecting our rights.  What the article does not say is that the gun ban lobby actually outspent the pro-rights side in advertising in 2013.  Much of what the NRA spent was on lobbying.  Bloomberg can match what the NRA spends, and more.  But simple money is not what motivates legislators.  Getting the votes to win elections and keep their jobs does.  Can Bloomberg's money do that?  It didn't in Colorado. 

Many in the gun ban lobby point to the recent Virginia election where all three anti-rights candidates won, and Bloomberg invested $3 million in the last couple of weeks of the campaign, as proof the tide is turning.  But the top of the Republican ticket ran a terrible campaign, and Democrat Terry McAuliffe avoided the subject until most polls showed him with a comfortable double digit lead.  It can be argued that his final margin of approximately two points rather than the more sizable margins indicated in late polls, was caused by his pivot to gun control.  It should also be noted that the two Northern Virginia House of Delegates races in which Bloomberg invested did not go his way.

The NPR story also talked about the other lesson learned by the gun ban lobby - that an energized grassroots  is what really makes a difference:

But 2013 also reminded everyone that sometimes money can't substitute for good old-fashioned grass-roots organizing. The NRA coordinated its base well in 2013, Glaze points out.  

"NRA has owned this issue for a generation. They've had the only political operation," he says. "They have the grass-roots strength, and we simply weren't there yet. But we're getting there."

The real question is, can the gun ban lobby create a grassroots movement of over 5 million dues paying members, and an even larger group of like minded people who are willing to act at a moment's notice?

Virginia Gun Ban Lobby Using Newtown Anniversary to Push Gun Control

Gun ban advocate and Governor Elect Terry McAuliffe Transition Team member Lori Haas sent out an email earlier today detailing activities they will undertake on Saturday, December 14th.  While the families of those slain have asked to be allowed to honor their lost loved ones without media attention, the gun ban lobby is using the day to make the case for more gun control.  Below is the email Ms. Haas sent out detailing how the Virginia gun ban lobby will mark the day and urging their supporters to use social media to send a message to Virginia's congressional delegation.

As many of you know, on Saturday December 14, 2013 we, as a nation, will be marking the 1^st anniversary of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. This anniversary is an opportunity for us to honor and remember the victims of gun violence and remind us why we are committed to creating a safer Virginia. Events and vigils will be held across the state over the next few days as we honor those who have lost their lives and continue to push for stronger responsible gun legislation in Virginia.

NEWTOWN ACTION ALLIANCE EVENTS & MOMS DEMAND ACTION: NO MORE SILENCE EVENTS TO COMMEMORATE THE ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY AND THE 26 LIVES LOST IN THE SHOOTING RAMPAGE AT SANDY HOOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN NEWTOWN, CT

Thursday Dec 12^th

3:45 – 5:00 p.m. - Newtown National Vigil for all Gun Violence Victims at the National Cathedral, 3101 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Washington, DC

Friday Dec. 13^th

Call Congress with our easy call-in tool – check the website at momsdemandaction.org

Saturday Dec 14^th

8:30 – 9:15 a.m. - Ceremony of Remembrance and Activation at UUCF, 2709 Hunter Mill Road, Oakton, VA

9:00 – 10:00 a.m. – Bell ringing at the Netherlands Carillion near the Iwo Jima Memorial (1222 N. Meade Street, Arlington, VA) with Moms Demand Action VA

9:30 – 10:30 a.m. – Bell ringing at the Carillon at Byrd Park (1300 Blanton Avenue Richmond, VA) with Moms Demand Action VA

9:30 – 10:30 a.m. – Bell ringing at Freedom Wall on Downtown Mall in Charlottesville, VA with Charlottesville Coalition for Gun Violence Prevention.

10:00 – 11:30 a.m. – Vigil & protest in front of the NRA headquarters at 11250 Waples Mill Rd., Oakton, VA

12:00 – 1:00 p.m. - Bell ringing at Lee Plaza (1525 Westover Avenue SW Roanoke, VA 24015) with Moms Demand Action VA

2:00 – 3:00 p.m. – Bell ringing at Canal Park, 200 M Street, SE, Washington, DC with Moms Demand Action DC.

Social Media Actions

· On Facebook, change your “hometown” to “Newtown, CT”

· Paint your nails “Sandy Hook Green” and encourage everyone you know, male and female, to do the same. Tweet photos of your green nails with the hashtag #NoMoreNewtowns

· Tweet a photo of your hands holding a sign that says “Remember Newtown” to the VA Representatives who have not co-sponsored the background check bill with the hashtag #RememberNewtown #cosponsor1565. Twitter handles as follows:

@RobWittman

@RepScottRigell

@Randy_Forbes

@RepRobertHurt

@RepGoodlatte

@EricCantor

@RepMGriffith

@RepWOLFPress

Beyond the Vigils, please plan to go to Richmond on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 20^th

We need to have as many people as possible in Richmond on MLK day to represent the majority of Virginians who support responsible gun laws. Please mark this date on your calendar and plan to join mothers, fathers, teachers, law enforcement officers, faith leaders, politicians, activists, andmany more who will gather to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King and remember the countless Virginians who have lost their lives to gun violence. We will make our voices heard as the Virginia General Assembly comes back into session and continue to fight for the freedom to live in a world free from gun violence.

Please continue to tell your friends and family to sign up for Virginians for Responsible Gun Laws at www.vrgl.org and, if you haven’t already, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Thank you for all of your hard work and commitment to this cause. There will be more updates to follow as we head into 2014.

Sincerely,

Lori Haas
 

Virginia gun owners should contact their congressman and let them know none of the gun control proposals being pushed by gun ban advocates would have stopped the Newtown shooter and that they should focus on real solutions and not feel good measures.

Is There A McAuliffe Effect on Gun Sales in Virginia?

The Roanoke Times reported this morning that firearm transactions set a record in Virginia on "Black Friday."

Gun transactions in Virginia totaled 3,902 on Black Friday, a 1.2 percent increase over the previous record of 3,856 transactions on the same day in 2012, according to the latest Virginia State Police figures of mandatory criminal-background checks of gun buyers.

This bucks national results for Black Friday 2013 which the Washington Times reported were slightly lower than last year, though still the sixth highest in history.  Virginia is on pace to set a record for the number of background checks for the entire year as well. The state police only keeps track of the number of background checks.  Actual sales could be higher. If someone is purchasing more that one firearm, only one background check is required.

What is driving the continued record numbers in Virginia? Thomas Baker, an assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University’s L. Douglas Wilder School of Government Affairs who did a study of Virginia firearm sales last year offers this perspective:

Baker said it will be interesting to see if concerns about gun legislation have subsided after the defeat of the national gun legislation proposed this year, and if that “will lead to smaller increases of annual gun sales in years to come.”

However, Baker noted that the election of Democrat Terry McAuliffe as governor — “a staunch advocate for stricter gun controls” — could be a driving force for additional year-end gun sales in Virginia. 

“If McAuliffe proposes any state-level gun legislation, we could see another surge in sales similar to those in response to fears about national gun control legislation,” Baker said.

Baker's research found that in the last six years, total firearm sales in Virginia rose a whopping 101 percent from 2006 to 2012, according to federally licensed gun dealer sales estimates. Data for 2013 are not yet available.

Election Post Mortem

In what turned out to be a much closer election at the top of the ticket than anyone expected, Terry McAuliffe ended up with a 2.46 1.94% margin of victory.  Clearly, McAuliffe's victory was won in Fairfax County in Northern Virginia, where he won by more votes (66,507) than the final margin of victory (54,823 54,704).  McAuliffe's and Bloomberg's strategy of running up a large margin in this region to make the rest of the state irrelevant worked.

In the other competitive race, State Senator Mark Obenshain, currently leads State Senator Mark Herring by .01.03% or 319 476 votes, according the the State Board of Elections web site.  There will likely be a recount and we could see the same drawn out process that we witnessed in 2005 when Bob McDonnell bested Creigh Deeds by a little over 300 votes.

Most pundits expected Obenshain to win unless Cuccinelli was blown out.  He ran a better campaign than Herring, running mostly positive television ads featuring his 20 something daughter to get out in front of the expected "War On Women" attack.  Herring was considered to have run an inept campaign by some observers.  Then, Mike Bloomberg came in and dropped $1 million in ads on Herring's behalf.  Those adds did not just focus on gun control but also on other social issues in an attempt to motivate voters who may not be motivated by gun control.

Did Bloomberg's ads make a difference?  Well, in the House races, it appears to have been a wash.  According to VPAP, Bloomberg's PAC invested in two House races, and split, winning in the 93rd District where he contributed to Monty Mason, the winner, but lost in the 87th District where he contributed to the opponent of Delegate David Ramadan.  Ramadan Won.  It had also been reported that Bloomberg contributed $100,000 to the race of Kathleen Murphy in the 34th District but VPAP does not show any donations either from his PAC or from Bloomberg directly.  Murphy lost.  Over all, the GOP won 67 of the 100 House races, a very hefty pro-rights majority to block any gun control McAuliffe may push. The Democrats picked up two seats currently held by the GOP, both in Northern Virginia.  The GOP picked up a seat currently held by a retiring Democrat.

And, some Dems apparently think Bloomberg contributed to the closeness of the race.

Already heard from one nat'l Dem who quietly worries that Bloomberg's gun ads late were not helpful and added to closeness
— Chuck Todd (@chucktodd) November 6, 2013

Something else, the CNN Exit Poll asked those interviewed if there were any gun owners in the home and 47% responded yes. This indicates to me that a high number of gun owners voted yesterday. What should concern us however is that of those interviewed who indicated there was a gun owner in the home, 33% voted for Terry McAuliffe. We don't know if the person interviewed was the gun owner or the spouse/significant other of the gun owner.

So, what impact will yesterday's results have on the rights of gun owners in Virginia for the next four years?  Clearly, getting pro-rights legislation signed into law is going to be more difficult.  Getting it out of the Senate will depend on what happens with the special election to fill Northam's seat.  Should Obenshain end-up being declared the winner in the AG's race, there will also be a special election to fill that vacancy.  If the Democrats end up with the majority in the Senate, we may have to dedicate a significant amount of resources to defeat bad legislation in that house of the legislature.  We do still have a firewall with the House of Delegates but we don't want to see bad bills passed in the Senate.

This is not completely over yet, but we do have a sense of what we are facing in the next couple of years, and it's not going to be fun.

Hat tip to Sebastian for the Chuck Todd comment.

Obenshain Currently Outperforming Cuccinelli

Currently, the bottom of the ticket for both parties is outperforming the top with State Senator Mark Obenshain currently leading the AG race with a total of 705,702 and State Senator Mark Herring 639,282.  In the Governor's race Cuccinelli has 649,934 and McAuliffe has 618,513.

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.

It's Election Day in Virginia

Polls have been open since 6:00 AM and will remain open until 7:00 PM. If you value your liberty, please vote, and vote for VSSA endorsed candidates Ken Cuccinelli for Governor, E.W. Jackson for Lt. Governor, and Mark Obenshain for Attorney General.

Don't worry about polls showing McAuliffe winning. Today is the only poll that counts. But for those who do watch polls, I offer this piece from Shaun Kenney at Bearing Drift that should give you a ray of hope in the midst of polls showing McAuliffe with an average of a 6 point lead. We can make a difference, if we vote.

Larry Sabato's "Crystal Ball" Predicts GOP Holds House of Delegates

Due in large part to gerrymandered districts, the bulk of the GOP's House of Delegate's majority is safe next Tuesday.  There are 45 uncontested races and an additional 12 with incumbents only facing independent candidates or "third party" candidates some of which are candidates who have put no effort into the race.  Some of the contested races are in Northern Virginia and due to the fact the region has turned so reliably blue (or at least purple fading to blue), that is where the GOP could end up losing if they lose any seats.  The GOP also stands to pick up a Democrat held seat in Southwest that is being vacated by the retiring Delegate Joe Johnson.  This from Geoffrey Skelley over at Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball.

To refresh, there is still no chance that Democrats will win a majority of the chamber’s 100 seats. Republicans presently hold a 68-32 edge (counting one independent caucusing with the GOP), giving them an impregnable advantage in the House. Even more helpful to Republicans is the fact that the only sure-fire pick-up in the House is going to be a Republican one in HD-4, an ancestrally Democratic district in southwest Virginia currently held by retiring Del. Joe Johnson (D). The GOP is the only party fielding a candidate there.

There are about a dozen seats in districts President Obama carried in 2012 that are currently held by Republican Delegates.

Courtesy Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball

The race drawing the most attention is the Northern Virginia district currently held by Barbara Comstock.  In 2012, Obama narrowly carried this district.  Mayor Michael Bloomberg has dropped $100,000 into the Democrat's campaign, after being "badgered" by Kathleen Murphy to help her out.  And with all the talk about Bloomberg's money in the Governor's and AG's race, his real target is turning out the Democrat vote to help sway the close legislative races to his side. Democrats are also working hard to get turn out up to where it was in 2012, believing (probably accurately) that if they can get Blacks and young voters to show up in the off year (which typically is not the case) then they can win.  Bloomberg knows he can't change the overall make-up of the House of Delegates, but he understands incrementalism.  If he can win a handful of races, and also claim to be on the winning side in the Governor's race, he adds to the narrative that gun control is a winning issue if candidates will only run on it.

Majority of Virginians View NRA Favorably Except in Northern Virginia

This explains why the gun ban lobby have limited their big spending to the Northern Virginia Area.  Politico reports that while a majority of Virginians view the NRA favorably,  the numbers are slightly different in the Northern Virginia area:

There is a significant regional divide in opinion. In Northern Virginia, the NRA survey found that critics of the group outnumber the sympathizers, 46 percent to 43 percent.  Outside of the D.C. media market, the NRA has a 19-point advantage in favorability.

The question is, have the gun ban lobby and anti-gun candidates like Terry McAuliffe determined that Northern Virginia has finally reached a tipping point in statewide elections where it not only votes anti-gun and Democratic, but brings enough of those votes to the polls to make the rest of Virginia’s vote irrelevant?

Ken Cuccinelli on the Nearly $2 Million Bloomberg is Dropping in Virginia

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli spoke with Cam Edwards of NRANews yesterday and talked about the pile of outside money being dropped, mainly in Northern Virginia, to defeat him in his race against Terry McAuliffe.  The San Francisco Gate noted:

Cuccinelli trails McAuliffe in campaign spending and polls. He has roughly kept pace on in-state donations, but out-of-state donors and activists have left Cuccinelli at a disadvantage with little time to make up lost ground.

In the closing days of the campaign, here are some critically important tasks that you can do to help:

 

Educate your family, friends and fellow firearm owners on the stark differences between the two candidates and ensure they vote for Ken Cuccinelli on November 5^th!

 

Download, print and distribute the below flyer throughout the pro-Second Amendment community.

• Below is contact information for the NRA-ILA’s Campaign Field Representatives (CFRs) that have been deployed in Virginia to help get out the pro-rights vote on November 5th. The CFRs are working in strategic locations throughout Virginia to ensure gun owners are actively engaged in our grassroots efforts to turn out the pro-gun vote on November 5th.
• Please make sure you contact the CFR nearest to you to assist with his/her efforts and encourage your family, friends and fellow firearm owners to do the same.

Don’t let Mayor Bloomberg buy this year’s elections in Virginia to further his nationwide anti-gun crusade! Vote for Ken Cuccinelli for Governor on November 5^th and urge your family, friends and fellow firearm owners to do the same!

 

If you are able to assist, please contact the NRA Campaign Field Representative nearest you to volunteer. If a couple hours of your time aren't worth protecting our freedom, what is?














Pittsylvania
James Lee
434-993-8672
JamesLeeNRA@gmail.com

Chesterfield, Powhatan
James Morton
512-659-5213
JCMorton.NRA@gmail.com

Newport News
Trey Ramsey
717-448-3426
tramseyNRA@gmail.com

Augusta, Rockingham
Terry Durkin
434-989-5089
tdurkinnra@gmail.com

Buchanan, Wise
Lexy Rusnak
540-315-4823
lexynra@gmail.com

Northern Virginia
Jacob Champion
703-672-0251
jchampionNRA@gmail.com

Bedford, Amherst
Raney Quirk
540-406-2342
rquirknra@gmail.com

Again, Please print and distribute the above flyer to your family, friends, and fellow firearm owners to make sure they understand the clear choice Virginia gun owners have in this year's elections.

Quinnipiac Poll Shows Cuccinelli Down by 7 to McAuliffe

We get slightly better news from Quinnipiac this morning than we did from Rasmussen yesterday, which showed Cuccinelli trailing Terry "Party Animal" McAuliffe by 17 points.  The new Quinnipiac Poll shows the deficit at 7 points, more in line with most other polls in recent weeks, and a more achievable deficit to over come than 17:

While 47 percent of Virginia likely voters say the government shutdown hurt the Old Dominion "a great deal," it apparently has no impact on the governor's race, where Democrat Terry McAuliffe leads Republican Ken Cuccinelli 46 - 39 percent, with 10 percent for Libertarian Party candidate Robert Sarvis, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.  

Note that in this poll, McAuliffe is still under 50%.  Now for the bad news, Democrats are more excited about voting for McAuliffe than Republicans are about voting for Cuccinelli:

In today's survey, McAuliffe leads 92 - 3 percent among Democrats, with 2 percent for Sarvis, while Cuccinelli leads 81 - 6 among Republicans, with 11 percent for Sarvis. Independent voters are divided 39 - 39 percent, with 14 percent for Sarvis.
 Women back the Democrat 49 - 35 percent, with 10 percent for Sarvis. Men are divided with 44 percent for Cuccinelli, 42 percent for McAuliffe and 10 percent for Sarvis.
 Only 4 percent of Virginia likely voters are undecided and 7 percent say there's a "good chance" they will change their mind by Nov. 5.

Cuccinelli needs to find a way to tap into that 7 percent that say it is a "good chance" they will change their mind (hoping they aren't folks who are currently in his camp), and need to get those Sarvis voters that will most likely decide their vote is wasted for him and decide to choose between one of the two candidates that have a shot at actually being elected.  It's not impossible, but Cuccinelli has his work cut out for him.

Bloomberg Drops Over $1 Million in Virginia Governor's Race

Just received this from Ken Cuccinelli, who is running for Governor in Virgnia:

Last night, important news broke that I must share with you. After being successfully wooed by Terry McAuliffe, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is pouring $1.1 million into the race. Bloomberg is doing so with the hopes that McAuliffe will be elected and immediately begin to curb Virginians' Second Amendment Rights.

Let me be clear: big money is pouring into Virginia from New York City to severely restrict your 2nd Amendment rights.

Terry McAuliffe has been courting Bloomberg for months – and even took a trip to New York City in August to plead for his support Terry has said he’s proud of his “F” rating from the NRA, and he’s supported bans on commonly owned semi-automatic firearms and standard capacity magazines. He's even supported the criminalization of private firearm transfers between family members.

Gun owners need to answer with a show of support for Cuccinelli. You can help in two ways. First give a donation to Cuccinelli. Second, contact the NRA-ILA Field Reps and volunteer in these final 15 days of the campaign. You can find their contact information below:

Pittsylvania
James Lee
434-993-8672
JamesLeeNRA@gmail.com

Chesterfield, Powhatan
James Morton
512-659-5213
JCMorton.NRA@gmail.com

Newport News
Trey Ramsey
717-448-3426
tramseyNRA@gmail.com

Augusta, Rockingham
Terry Durkin
434-989-5089
tdurkinnra@gmail.com

Buchanan, Wise
Lexy Rusnak
540-315-4823
lexynra@gmail.com

Northern Virginia
Jacob Champion
703-672-0251
jchampionNRA@gmail.com

Bedford, Amherst
Raney Quirk
540-406-2342
rquirknra@gmail.com

Cuccinelli Faces Uphill Climb According to New Poll

The full results are here.  It appears that McAuliffe's constant onslaught of negative ads defining Cuccinelli and the AG's inability to fully respond has taken it's toll.

"Terry McAuliffe's strategy has been to paint Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli as too conservative to be Virginia's next governor. Today, almost half of Virginia voters agree, more than the 38 percent who say McAuliffe is too liberal," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

Cuccinelli can take solace in the fact that in 2001 polls showed Democrat Mark Warner winning by as much as 17% and he ended up winning by just 5%.  But it is clear the AG has his work cut out for him and it is also clear that his campaign strategists, even though they have been told they need to make a mid-course correction, have ignored the message.

Can Cuccinelli Win?

According to a new Hampton University Poll and former Wilder Chief of Staff and Democratic Stratigist Paul Goldman, only if he makes a mid course correction with a month left in the campaign:

Their numbers show us seven KEYS to the current state of the race.

They also show that while Cuccinelli seems to have a chance in terms of common sense – there are still enough voters undecided – there is a very slim if any statistical chance.

He appears to need to get 2/3 of the undecided vote, these Virginians concentrated in a few larger metro areas as is typical in a VA GUV race.

But as will be clear shortly, without a mid-course correction of the AG’s strategy by his top strategy guy Chris LaCivita – there is not mathematical reason to think Cuccinelli can win.

What is that correction?  In the final month, he needs to find a positive message of why Virginia voters should vote for him, and just a message of vote against Terry McAuliffe.  It's a truism in politics that you have to give voters a reason to vote for you.  So far, it would seem Cuccinelli hasn't done that.  There is still time left to do so.  The question is, will he?

Defend Freedom, Defeat McAuliffe

NRA is now running this ad in Virginia:



Today, VSSA endorsed Ken Cuccinelli, E. W. Jackson, and Mark Obenshain earlier today.

More on McAuliffe and Gun Control

VSSA's conversation with Cam Edwards on NRANews Cam and Company on the Sportsman Channel yesterday.