As part of its efforts to push gun control measures in statehouses across the country, the political arm of Everytown for Gun Safety announced Friday it will spend $500,000 in support of Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf before the Nov. 6 midterms.
The gun control group's announcement cited Mr. Wolf's support of strengthening gun safety laws as reason why they want him to beat his Republican challenger, Scott Wagner. They plan to support Mr. Wolf through independent expenditures, including mail and digital advertisements.
John Feinblatt, the nonprofit’s president, said in a statement that Pennsylvanians "deserve leaders with the courage to buck the [National Rifle Association] and champion common-sense gun laws."
Mr. Wagner was recently endorsed by the NRA, whose political strategist labeled him a staunch supporter of the second amendment who will "fight to protect our fundamental right to self-defense."
Everytown for Gun Safety, founded by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has lobbied successfully for gun safety measures in many state legislatures with help from its grassroots arm, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.
One of those successes came recently in Pennsylvania, as the Legislature passed a bill tightening gun access for people convicted of some domestic violence crimes and for those who are under final protection-from-abuse orders. The group praised Gov. Wolf for supporting the bill, which he promised to sign.
Everytown’s political arm, called the "Action Fund," has also put a heightened focus on politics on the federal level.
The organization this week announced its endorsements of five Pennsylvania Congressional candidates, including Rep. Conor Lamb, a Mt. Lebanon Democrat who is running for the newly drawn 17th district against Republican Rep. Keith Rothfus. Mr. Lamb said at a debate this week he would support a bill requiring background checks for guns bought at gun shows or over the internet, but wouldn’t support further restrictions on access to guns just yet.
The group also endorsed Republican Brian Fitzpatrick for the 1st District, and Democrats Chrissy Houlahan for the 6th, Susan Wild for the 7th and Matt Cartwright for the 8th.
The nonprofit’s action in Pennsylvania follows a significant move in September, when it announced it would spend up to $10 million in races in Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and New Mexico. According to Politico, September also saw the group launch a $5 million digital ad campaign targeting 15 House races.
At the time, Mr. Feinblatt said the goal was for Everytown to "redraw the electoral map in November."
Correction: Brian Fitzpatrick is a Republican. An earlier version of this story had an incorrect political affiliation.
Julian Routh: jrouth@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1952, Twitter @julianrouth.
First Published: October 12, 2018, 12:04 p.m.