Well, it happened. I mentioned last month that we were not sure what the top of the Democrat ticket would look like in November, as many party officials were calling for Joe Biden to step down after his miserable performance in the first debate with Donald Trump. Although Biden stated numerous times he had no intention of leaving the race, on July 21, a letter with Biden’s signature was posted to social media announcing he was giving up.
We may never know the real reasons Biden quit. While many pundits have speculated it was a sort of palace coup—with Biden being forced out under threat of no more money from his rich donor friends or being removed under the 25th Amendment—others think that Biden realized he simply could not beat Trump, and dropping out was somehow more noble than losing. Whatever the reason, we currently have Kamala Harris at the top of the Democrat ticket, along with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her choice for vice president.
This unprecedented swap, Biden being forced out and Harris—who has never won a single presidential primary race—being gifted the delegates Biden had won earlier this year, is an interesting move for those allegedly championing “democracy.” The kind of “democracy” these people are fighting for is one where you can ignore the ballots cast by roughly 14 million voters when polls are not trending in your direction.
And, you can bet the anti-gun extremists have had their hands in this whole sordid process.
Many, after all, are firmly entrenched in Democrat leadership positions, and some of the biggest bankrolls Democrats rely on, like billionaire Michael Bloomberg, are committed to destroying the Second Amendment. They fear a second Trump presidency more than they fear looking like puppet masters forcing out a feeble incumbent president and installing a hand-picked candidate.
NRA, of course, will continue doing everything possible to help reelect Donald Trump come November 5, as we need to ensure these undemocratic schemes are thwarted. As I also noted last month, however, there are other races to consider. So let’s take a look at two of them.
In Arizona, Kari Lake (R) is running for U.S. Senate. Lake, a former TV news anchor, has been a strong, vocal proponent of the Second Amendment for several years. She opposes anti-gun proposals such as banning popular semi-automatic firearms and standard-capacity magazines, so-called “universal background checks” and allowing veterans to be arbitrarily stripped of their Second Amendment rights by the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs (VA).
All of these proposals are supported by her opponent, U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego (D), who has cast votes for each of these unconstitutional infringements while in office. Gallego has earned his “F” rating from the NRA-Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF); a grade he has held since 2014.
Lake has an “AQ” from the NRA-PVF, as well as our endorsement, which she also earned when she ran for governor in 2022. While she lost that race by the narrowest margin to decide an Arizona gubernatorial race in more than 30 years, she remains committed to serving Arizonans as a defender of the Second Amendment. Let’s be sure to make that happen!
Michigan also has a critical race for U.S. Senate, and NRA-PVF has endorsed former congressman Mike Rogers (R), who has earned an “A” rating. Rogers served in Congress from 2001-2015, and was consistently A-rated and endorsed by NRA-PVF. While serving, he voted for right-to-carry reciprocity, protecting hunting as a primary use of federal lands and the critical Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA). Repealing the PLCAA has been a long-standing goal of anti-gun extremists, especially under the Biden-Harris administration.
Rogers’ opponent, Elissa Slotkin (D), is a committed anti-Second Amendment extremist who has voted to ban semi-automatic firearms and standard-capacity magazines, outlaw most private transfers of firearms and voted against protecting our veterans from being arbitrarily stripped of their Second Amendment rights by the VA. Her consistent “F” rating from NRA-PVF is well-deserved.
If NRA is going to help retake control of the U.S. Senate from extremists like current Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), NRA members in Michigan need to do everything they can to elect Mike Rogers.
There are still many key races, but I am limited by space and the timing of some primaries to fill you in on them all. Just keep an eye out for future communications from me and NRA as Election Day approaches. If we stand and fight together, I know we will come out victorious, and the Second Amendment will be preserved for future generations.
