The Results Are In: Gun Safety Wins the Midterms
Democrats swept the Senate, House, and statewide offices across the country.
Votes are still being tallied and races are still being called, but there’s already incredible news coming out of this year’s midterm elections: We will have a gun safety majority in the US House of Representatives and the US Senate come January.
This is a really big deal. With control of the House and the Senate, we can make sure bills like the national concealed carry mandate never see the light of day. We can investigate the Trump administration’s capitulations to the gun industry. We can even reverse Trump’s rulemakings and advance lifesaving legislation.
Control of the House and Senate aren’t the only races we’re on track to win. In the states, GIFFORDS was involved in flipping legislatures, winning gubernatorial and attorney general races, and securing gun safety trifectas across the country. With this legislative power, state lawmakers will be able to pass the crucial gun safety laws their residents need.
Many of our big electoral wins came down to key races that GIFFORDS invested in—both financially and through strategic endorsements, campaign support, and on-the-ground engagement. We spent $10 million to elect and support gun safety champions in 2026, and endorsed 442 candidates this cycle. Our founder, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, criss-crossed the nation with our team to stump for candidates, host events, canvass neighborhoods, and ensure every voter knew just how crucial these races were. We’re on track to win 95% of our endorsements, with several races still outstanding.
Now, we want to spotlight some of the leaders who helped make this historic victory happen.
Either party needs at least 218 seats in the US House of Representatives to claim a majority, and as of midday November 4, Democrats have 234—and counting. Some races were tougher than others, but with gun safety as a top issue for many of these winners, voters made their thoughts clear. Check out some of the big races that made the difference:
- Randy Villegas (CA-22): Randy Villegas defeated incumbent David Valadao in the race to represent California’s Twenty-Second Congressional District. You can learn more about Valadao’s dangerous record in some of the ads we ran in his district, including “Dedicated” and “Betrayal.”
- Manny Rutinel (CO-08): Manny Rutinel has defeated gun lobby darling Gabe Evans and will be sworn into office in January. GIFFORDS campaigned with Rutinel and helped convene several town halls to highlight Evans’s ties to the gun lobby and dangerous record on gun safety.
- Sean McCann (MI-04): Voters ousted gun lobby favorite Bill Huizenga and elected Sean McCann in a huge win for gun safety. GIFFORDS ran an ad highlighting just how bad Huizenga was for public safety.
- Christina Hines (MI-10): Voters in Michigan’s Tenth Congressional District chose Christina Hines to represent them. Gabby campaigned with Hines repeatedly, including co-hosting a forum on gun violence. GIFFORDS also invested $1 million in her race, airing ads like “Earn It” and “Decades.”
- Rebecca Bennett (NJ-07): After a tough, uphill battle against incumbent Tom Kean Jr, Rebecca Bennett flipped this crucial district blue. GIFFORDS launched ads showcasing Kean’s disregard for gun safety and held events with Bennett and Gabby.
- Cait Conley (NY-17): Cait Conley defeated incumbent Mike Lawler to flip New York’s Seventeenth Congressional District. GIFFORDS was an early supporter of Conley’s campaign, and Gabby campaigned with her several times this cycle.
- Katy Padilla Stout (TX-23): After defeating radical gun YouTuber Brandon Herrera, Texas will send Katy Padilla Stout to Congress. GIFFORDS Executive Director Emma Brown appeared on the campaign trail with Stout to highlight how critical of an issue gun safety is for Texas.
- Elaine Luria (VA-02): Elaine Luria successfully won back Virginia’s Second Congressional District, which she represented from 2019 to 2023. GIFFORDS helped fund ads against her opponent, Jen Kiggans, including “Still Remember” and “On the Line.”
Voters have flipped seven Senate seats and held onto even more, ensuring a gun safety majority in the US Senate. So far, Democrats have 54 senators to Republicans’ 44, and two races have yet to be called. Some of the major wins:
- John Hickenlooper in Colorado: John Hickenlooper won reelection to the US Senate in Colorado. As a longtime ally of GIFFORDS, Gabby drafted a joint op-ed with him remembering the Aurora shooting.
- Jon Ossoff in Georgia: Jon Ossoff is returning to the US Senate. Gabby campaigned with Senator Ossoff across Georgia in the months leading up to the election.
- Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan: Abdul El-Sayed won his election to serve as the newest senator from Michigan. GIFFORDS invested $1.1 million in an advertising campaign highlighting his opponent’s gun extremist background.
- Chris Pappas in New Hampshire: New Hampshire voters elected Chris Pappas to the US Senate, making him the first openly gay man elected to the chamber. Earlier this year, Gabby joined him for a town hall conversation focused on gun safety and protecting veterans.
- Roy Cooper in North Carolina: Roy Cooper was a strong governor in North Carolina, and he’ll continue that streak in the Senate. This cycle, Gabby appeared on the campaign trail in North Carolina to stump for Cooper and Democrats running up and down the ballot.
- Sherrod Brown in Ohio: Sherrod Brown won a special election in Ohio to return to the Senate after losing his seat in 2024.
- Annie Andrews in South Carolina: Annie Andrews pulled off a huge win in South Carolina, handily defeating her opponent and becoming the first Democrat to represent her state in the Senate in decades.
- James Talarico in Texas: Making history, James Talarico defeated gun extremist Ken Paxton and became the first Democrat to win a Senate race in Texas since 1988.
Gun safety wasn’t just a winning issue in the House and Senate. Democrats swept gubernatorial races, state legislatures, and more statewide seats, proving that voters are prioritizing public safety over empty promises. Here are some of the big highlights:
- Arizona: Katie Hobbs was reelected as governor of Arizona, and Kris Mayes was reelected as attorney general.
- Colorado: Phil Weiser was elected as governor of Colorado, and Jena Griswold was elected as attorney general.
- Georgia: Keisha Lance Bottoms was elected as governor of Georgia, becoming the first Black woman governor in US history. Tanya Miller was elected as attorney general, flipping the seat blue.
- Michigan: Jocelyn Benson was elected as governor of Michigan, Eli Savit was elected as attorney general, and the state reestablished a gun safety majority in the house and held its majority in the senate—ensuring a gun safety trifecta.
- Minnesota reestablished a gun safety majority in the house, expanded its majority in the senate, and won the governor’s seat—ensuring a gun safety trifecta.
- Nevada: Aaron Ford was elected as governor of Nevada, Sandra Jauregui was elected as lieutenant governor, and Nicole Cannizzaro was elected as attorney general.
- New Mexico: Deb Haaland was elected as governor of New Mexico, becoming the first Native American woman governor in US history.
- Pennsylvania established a gun safety majority in the house and senate for the first time in decades, and won the governor’s seat—ensuring a gun safety trifecta.
- Wisconsin established a gun safety majority in the assembly and senate for the first time in 16 years, and won the governor’s seat—ensuring a gun safety trifecta.
It’s hard to overstate just how critical these wins are for the gun violence prevention movement. Democrats have leverage in Congress to fight the Trump administration’s dangerous agenda. They have control of several state legislatures and can pass the laws we need to save lives.
We are never safe when gun extremists have control of our government. Americans agreed—and voted these corrupt politicians out of office. Now, it’s time to prepare for everything we can achieve in the new year.
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The gun safety movement is on the march: Americans from different background are united in standing up for safer schools and communities. Join us to make your voice heard and power our next wave of victories.
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