Giffords Endorses Lizzie Pannill Fletcher for Congress in Texas
The endorsement comes as part of Giffords’ #VoteCourage Campaign to elect gun reform candidates nationwide
July 16, 2018 — Giffords, the gun safety organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and Captain Mark Kelly, announced its endorsement of Lizzie Pannill Fletcher’s campaign for Texas’ 7th congressional district. Captain Kelly and former Congresswoman Giffords also came to Houston this weekend to hold an event with the candidate.
Lizzie Pannill-Fletcher has spent her legal career standing up for the families of Houston and now wants to take the fight to the gun lobby in Washington in order to help keep her community safe. Lizzie supports common-sense measures to reduce gun violence like requiring background checks on all gun sales and closing gaps in current laws that allow convicted domestic abusers to get their hands on firearms.
“Lizzie is ready to stand up for families in Houston by taking the fight to pass laws that will make our communities safer from gun violence to the halls of Congress,” said former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, co-founder of Giffords. “This year we are witnessing the power of the American people to do big things. Voters in Texas and across the country are demanding leaders who won’t just dream of a world where gun violence isn’t a daily problem but will work tirelessly to make it happen. We are proud to endorse Lizzie because she is the type of leader who will show courage when it counts and never back down from fighting to make our communities safer.”
“As a country, we have a responsibility to keep our children, schools, and neighborhoods safe from the threat of gun violence. I’m honored to have the support of Gabby Giffords, a brave woman who we nearly lost to the kind of senseless violence we must do more to prevent. As the representative for Texas families, I will be an independent advocate for common-sense gun safety measures that keep our communities safe,” said Lizzie Pannill Fletcher, Democratic nominee for TX-07.
Pannill-Fletcher is challenging Rep. John Culberson, who has accepted more than $75,000 in campaign contributions from the gun lobby and votes in lockstep with their agenda. In the wake of the shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas, Rep. Culberson voted for the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, a bill that was opposed by law enforcement, including Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo. If passed into law, the bill would require Texas to allow people with violent misdemeanors, including stalkers and domestic abusers, to carry concealed, loaded guns in public.
Giffords’ #VoteCourage campaign is aimed at electing gun safety advocates to Congress and defeating 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.
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