Giffords Endorses Mary Barzee Flores for Congress in Florida
The endorsement comes as part of Giffords’ #VoteCourage Campaign to elect gun reform candidates nationwide
July 25, 2018 — Giffords, the gun safety organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and Captain Mark Kelly, announced its endorsement of Mary Barzee Flores in Florida’s 25th congressional district.
“Politicians bought and paid for by the gun lobby to defend the firearms industry can no longer get away with saying thoughts and prayers and then staying silent. They can no longer say acts of violence are acts of nature, beyond our control. They are not, and the American people know it. They’re tired of politicians who claim to represent them failing to take action to keep them safe. This year, voters are demanding leaders with the courage to fight for a nation where gun violence is not a daily problem,” said former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, co-founder of Giffords. “Voters are ready to elect leaders, like Mary Barzee Flores, who will always put protecting the safety of our communities first, not themselves, and certainly not the gun lobby. Mary has what it takes to take on the biggest challenges and fight for solutions that will keep our schools, streets, churches and communities safe. Giffords is proud to endorse Mary Barzee Flores for Congress because she’s someone who will never stop working to make Florida’s communities safer.”
Mary Barzee Flores understands what it will take to keep our communities safe. A former judge, she is committed to fighting for proven solutions to the gun violence epidemic that has taken the lives of far too many Floridians. Mary supports requiring background checks for all gun purchases and reinstating the federal semi-automatic assault weapons ban.
Mary is running against Congressman Mario Diaz Balart, a proud recipient of numerous A ratings from the NRA over his political career. After Parkland, Diaz Balart refused to support any commonsense gun safety laws to help prevent future senseless tragedies. The gun lobby has rewarded Mario for rubber stamping its dangerous agenda: he’s the top recipient of NRA money in Florida over the last two decades, with the most recent check arriving in June.
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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