Giffords Endorses Eight Members of Congress for Reelection in New York

June 27, 2018

These endorsements come as part of Giffords’ #VoteCourage Campaign to elect gun reform candidates nationwide

Washington, DC – Giffords, the gun safety organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and Captain Mark Kelly, announced its endorsement of eight New York incumbents: Representatives Nita Lowey, Eliot Engel, Brian Higgins, Tom Suozzi, Kathleen Rice, Carolyn Maloney, Jerry Nadler, and Hakeem Jeffries. These eight leaders now join a growing list of endorsed candidates supported by Giffords in 2018, as part of the organization’s #VoteCourage campaign , an effort to elect gun safety champions. The organization expects to announce additional endorsements in the weeks and months to come.

Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, co-founder of Giffords:

“America experienced three of the deadliest mass shootings in modern history in just the past year. Over 38,000 people in our country were killed by a gun. New York has not been immune to this deadly crisis: somebody is killed by a gun in New York every 10 hours. Despite this devastating reality, the gun lobby has used its cash and influence to stifle any attempts to pass laws on Capitol Hill to make our schools, streets, and communities more safe.

“The American people are outraged and tired of inaction. They are ready to use their power to demand that the leaders we elect to represent us are committed to creating a world where gun violence is not a daily problem. Voters are calling for leaders who will always put protecting the safety of our communities first, not themselves, and certainly not the gun lobby.

“The leaders we are endorsing today have acknowledged the devastating toll of our nation’s gun violence crisis, and they are working tirelessly to combat it. Their passion, leadership, and dedication as a leading gun safety champion will be critical for our next victories in Congress to save lives and prevent future tragedies. Giffords is proud to endorse Representatives Lowey, Engel, Higgins, Suozzi, Rice, Maloney, Nadler, and Jeffries for Congress, leaders who have the courage stand up to the corporate gun lobby and who will never stop working to make New York communities safer.”

The eight New York candidates endorsed by Giffords for reelection today include:

Congressman Tom Suozzi (NY-03) brings leadership skills honed by his experience in local government to Congress, where he serves as a member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus. Congressman Suozzi has shown his commitment to reducing gun violence by cosponsoring legislation to expand background checks, prohibit abusive dating partners and stalkers from accessing guns, and investing federal funding into gun violence research. He voted against harmful concealed carry reciprocity legislation that would allow untrained, unlicensed individuals to carry concealed firearms in New York communities. We are proud to endorse Congressman Tom Suozzi for Congress in 2018.
Congresswoman Nita Lowey (NY-17) : For nearly 30 years, Congresswoman Nita Lowey has been a gun violence prevention champion in Congress. As the highest-ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, Congresswoman Lowey has used her leadership position to advocate for policies to make American communities safer, including requiring a background check on every gun sale and increasing funding for federal law enforcement agencies. Congresswoman Lowey also supports legislation that allows for the temporary removal of guns from individuals in crisis, prohibits abusive dating partners and stalkers from accessing guns, and bans bump stocks. She has voted multiple times to protect New York communities from dangerous concealed carry reciprocity legislation. We are proud to endorse Congresswoman Nita Lowey for Congress in 2018.
Congressman Eliot Engel (NY-16) has brought his public service experience to Congress for nearly three decades. From voting for the Brady Bill in the early 1990s to cosponsoring expanded background checks legislation, Congressman Engel has been steadfast in his support of policies to make communities safer. Understanding that reducing gun violence requires comprehensive policy solutions, he also supports investing in federal gun violence research, raising the minimum age for firearms purchases, and laws allowing the temporary removal of guns from individuals in crisis. Congressman Engel has advocated for safety standards on guns for several years, seeking to keep children as safe as possible, and voted against dangerous concealed carry legislation multiple times. We are proud to endorse Congressman Eliot Engel for Congress in 2018.
Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) : In the wake of Sandy Hook, Congressman Brian Higgins publicly shifted his position on guns, advocating for stronger gun safety laws to make American communities safer. A member of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, Congressman Higgins supports expanding background checks, banning bump stocks, and investing in federal research into gun violence. In 2017, he bucked the gun lobby by contributing past NRA campaign funds to gun violence prevention organizations and voting against dangerous concealed carry reciprocity legislation. We are proud to endorse Congressman Brian Higgins for Congress in 2018.
Congresswoman Kathleen Rice (NY-04) has used her law enforcement experience as a former prosecutor to become a Congressional leader in reducing gun violence. As a vice-chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, Congresswoman Rice supports expanding background checks, restricting assault weapons and high capacity magazines, and enacting laws allowing the temporary removal of firearms from individuals in crisis. This Congress, she worked across the aisle to introduce bipartisan legislation making it easier for states to upload critical domestic violence records into the background check system. She has proven herself to be unafraid of the gun lobby, opposing constraints on federal research into gun violence and voting against dangerous concealed carry reciprocity legislation. We are proud to endorse Congresswoman Kathleen Rice for Congress in 2018.
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (NY-12) has been a leader on gun violence prevention for the entirety of her time in Congress. From the original Brady Bill to universal background checks, Congresswoman Maloney is vocal in her support of commonsense policies to reduce gun violence. She has introduced legislation in multiple congresses to prevent straw purchasing and gun trafficking and to authorize funding for research into gun violence. Congresswoman Maloney supports banning bump stocks and allowing the temporary removal of firearm access from individuals in crisis. Unafraid to stand up to the gun lobby, she has voted against dangerous concealed carry reciprocity legislation multiple times. We are proud to endorse Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney for Congress in 2018.
Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-10) has brought his public service experience to the U.S. House of Representatives for over 25 years. Throughout his tenure, he has consistently been a strong voice for meaningful action on gun reform. As the highest-ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, Congressman Nadler has taken every opportunity to advocate for legislation to reduce gun violence and make communities safer. He supports requiring a background check on every gun sale, banning assault weapons and high capacity magazines, and keeping guns out of the hands of abusive dating partners and stalkers. He has voted against dangerous concealed carry reciprocity legislation multiple times. We are proud to endorse Congressman Jerrold Nadler for Congress in 2018.
Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08) : Throughout his three terms in Congress, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries has been an outspoken advocate for safer communities. A founder of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Caucus, Congressman Jeffries supports requiring a background check on every gun sale and banning bump stocks. He is also a proponent of violence intervention at the local level knowing that gun violence impacts some communities and constituents differently than others, while also supporting adequate funding to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to prevent the trafficking of guns from states with weak laws to those with strong ones like New York. We are proud to endorse Congressman Hakeem Jeffries for Congress in 2018.

Giffords’ #VoteCourage campaign aims to elect gun safety advocates to Congress and defeat politicians who have historically worked against gun reform, or done nothing at all to prevent gun violence. The political program targets incumbents in mostly suburban districts and uses a mixture of TV and digital advertising, on-the-ground organizing, and a voter registration push to create momentum for meaningful progress on gun safety. Learn More about Giffords’ 2018 political program here.

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