Game Changes Before the Big Day
You might have noticed that we’ve updated the “Candidates” information page. Yet, you might wonder why it includes surprisingly little information given the amount of political chatter you can find on most party, activist, and non-partisan news sites as of late.
It’s really quite simple. Too much can change.
We’ll break news that’s relevant to gun owners, especially when there’s a record of either pro- or anti-gun actions or statements. In general, those stories will be relegated to the blog section of the website as opposed to the standing information pages. Keeping the standing “Candidates” information page updated with all of the changes is a little tough to do without a clear picture of the elections yet.
The most obvious example is this month’s change in the GOP gubernatorial primary when Congressman Jim Gerlach dropped his bid that would have pit him against Attorney General Tom Corbett. Both men are rated A by NRA-PVF and have repeatedly secured the endorsement of gun owners. We are aware of both men’s reputations, and we recognized when each stepped up to support the Second Amendment through briefs filed in the landmark McDonald case. We are also well aware of the recent addition to the race, A+ rated Rep. Sam Rohrer who hasn’t been mentioned recently because he was not one of the state legislator brief co-signers in McDonald.
On the Congressional front, there are some seats with nearly a dozen declared candidates! With the primary not scheduled until May and – more importantly – the filing deadlines not scheduled until March, it’s safe to assume that many declared candidates will not make it on the final ballot.
Perhaps more importantly, the number of seats for which there are competitive candidates may change. This week, we have learned that Speaker of the House Keith McCall will retire which brings with it the loss of a Western Pennsylvania A+ rated seat. In Bucks County, rumors are now swirling that A rated Rep. Paul Clymer will retire at the end of his term, opening another seat for more competition.
As soon as the candidate lists are final, we will update the page with the relevant information. But don’t expect any NRA-PVF endorsements at that time. With the exception of incumbents, NRA-PVF rarely endorses in primary races. However, if any candidates have a record or make statements between now and the primary, we’ll be here to report it.
