Giffords and G-PAC Endorse Candidates in Illinois Legislative Races

February 10, 2020

Applauding their leadership in standing up to the corporate gun lobby, keeping illegal guns off our streets and making our communities safer

February 10, 2020 – Giffords, the gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, and the Illinois Gun Violence Prevention Political Action Committee (G-PAC) have jointly endorsed 18 Democratic candidates for the March 17, 2020 Illinois primary election for their leadership in supporting and advancing legislation to keep Illinois families and communities safe from gun violence.

“Illinois showed the rest of America what it means to lead on gun safety,” said Joanna Belanger, political director at Giffords. “After years of obstruction from state lawmakers unwilling to buck the gun lobby, voters sent to Springfield a new class of champions ready to pass legislation to end the gun violence epidemic. Now it’s time to grow this gun safety majority. That’s why Giffords is proud to join G-PAC in endorsing these courageous gun safety leaders. With their victories, Illinois will continue to shine as a nationwide example of what it means to prioritize gun safety.”

In Illinois, someone is killed with a gun every seven hours, claiming the lives of 1,310 residents each year and wounding many more. The annual cost of gun violence is $7.2 billion.

G-PAC and Giffords PAC are proud to endorse candidates who will stand up to the corporate gun lobby and work to make our communities safer. These candidates will lead on requiring background checks on all gun sales, strengthening state licensing requirements, banning large-capacity ammunition magazines, investing in community-based violence prevention programs, and expanding extreme risk protection orders.

“This February marks the one-year anniversary of the shooting at the Henry Pratt manufacturing company in Aurora, IL, in which five people were killed and six injured. Tragically, our communities are no safer than they were one year ago,” said Kathleen Sances, President and CEO of G-PAC. “We need representatives who are willing to take a stand and push to pass meaningful legislation – like The BIO (Block Illegal Gun Ownership) Bill, SB1966 – that will fix the FOID card system and help put a stop to preventable gun violence tragedies in Illinois. We are proud to endorse these candidates who have made a clear commitment making Illinois a safer place to live.”

For the Illinois Senate:

Hon. Antonio Munoz, 1st District
Hon. Robert Martwick, 10th District
Hon. Robert Peters, 13th District
Hon. Cristina Castro, 22nd District

For the Illinois House:

Hon. Aaron Ortiz, 1st District
Hon. Theresa Mah, 2nd District
Hon. Jawaharial Williams, 10th District
Michelle Darbro, candidate, 20th District
Hon. Justin Slaughter, 27th District
Hon. Thaddeus Jones, 29th Distric
Hon. Mary E. Flowers, 31st District
Hon. Andre Thapedi, 32nd District
Hon. Jaime Andrade, 40th District
Janet Yang Rohr, candidate, 41st District
Martha Paschke, candidate, 65th District
Suzanne Ness, candidate, 66th District
Hon. Barbara Hernandez, 83rd District

For Cook County State’s Attorney:

Hon. Kimberly M. Foxx