Giffords Endorses Betsy Dirksen Londrigan for Congress in Illinois
The endorsement comes as part of Giffords’ #VoteCourage Campaign to elect gun reform candidates nationwide
September 26, 2018 — Giffords, the gun safety organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and Captain Mark Kelly, announced its endorsement Betsy Dirksen Londrigan in Illinois’ 13th congressional district.
Betsy Dirksen Londrigan knows that we can respect the Second Amendment while enacting commonsense gun safety measures to save lives. A native of Springfield, Illinois, and former Teach for America corps member, Betsy has spent the last 20 years working for Senator Dick Durbin and other Democratic candidates for public office. In Congress, she will place the needs of her constituents before the gun lobby by voting to reinstate federal funding for research on gun violence and expand background checks to cover all firearm sales.
“This year, voters are demanding leaders who offer more than thoughts and prayers when it comes to gun violence. They’re no longer willing to accept politicians who can’t imagine a world where schools, workplaces, churches, and communities are safe places, where our children don’t have to live in fear. The level of gun violence we experience in our country is not normal and thankfully, we finally have leaders running for office who have the courage to fight to finally address it,” said Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, co-founder of Giffords. “Voters are ready to elect Betsy Dirksen Londrigan because she will always put protecting their communities over helping the gun lobby make a profit. Giffords is proud to endorse her for Congress because she will never stop fighting for what’s right.”
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 the Giffords 2018 political program here.
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Giffords is a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives from gun violence. Led by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, Navy combat veteran and retired NASA astronaut Captain Mark Kelly, Giffords inspires the courage of people from all walks of life to make America safer.