Dingell Cruises To Easy Win -
HCI Claims He Just "Squeaked By"
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"...Rivers received the endorsement of
the gun-ban lobby formerly known as HCI..." |
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Rep. Dingell (D-MI) |
In one of the must closely-followed races in this young 200
election season, NRA-PVF-endorsed
U.S. Representative John
Dingell (D-Mich.) handily defeated anti-gun extremist U.S.
Representative Lynn Rivers (D- Mich.) on Tuesday in a rare
primary matchup between incumbents.
Redistricting pitted these two lawmakers against each other, and
while they held similar positions on a number of issues, they
diverged dramatically on the Second Amendment. As Rep. Dingell's
strong support of our Right to Keep and Bear Arms became the
central issue of the race, it attracted national attention, and
the race became promoted as a national forum on gun control.
NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris Cox pointed out, "Anti-gun
groups attempted to use this race as an indictment against all
gun rights of law-abiding Americans." However, ever since Al Gore
lost his bid for the presidency in 2000 - while running on a
platform that included promoting gun bans, and licensing and
registration schemes for law-abiding gun owners - Democrats have
been doing everything they can to distance themselves from the
image that theirs is the party of gun control. The Nebraska
Democratic Party, for example, recently recognized the right to
arms as a part of its official platform, as did the Montana
Democratic Party in February.
But Rep. Rivers was one of the exceptions. She openly embraced
her anti-gun history, aggressively campaigned on an anti-gun
platform, and repeatedly condemned Rep. Dingell for his history
of working closely with NRA. Rivers received the endorsement of
the gun-ban lobby formerly known as HCI in March, and the
extremist organization dedicated a great deal of time, energy,
and money to the Rivers campaign.
Late in the race, their Chair, Sarah Brady, dedicated much of her
time to campaigning for Rivers, including committing a whole day
to be at the candidate's side. Brady's organization even named
Dingell the first of its "Dangerous Dozen" the gun-ban lobby's
list of pro-Second Amendment lawmakers it intends to target for
defeat during the 2002 elections. HCI and the "Million Mom March"
(MMM) - the anti-gun organization that was on the verge of
collapse before HCI absorbed it - even set up a website that
highlighted Rep. Dingell's pro-gun track record in an effort to
rally anti-gun extremists to support Rivers. ILA's Cox observed,
"The Rivers campaign, bankrolled by anti-gun groups like Handgun
Control, Inc., enlisted actor Martin Sheen and activist Sarah
Brady to tape get-out-the-vote messages for Lynn Rivers. In fact,
the anti-gun groups threw in the kitchen sink in this race."
In contrast, Rep. Dingell, who once served as an NRA Director,
proudly promoted his long history of supporting our Right to Keep
and Bear Arms, and the plank of his platform on firearms focused
on targeting violent gun mimes, not law-abiding gun owners. He
also highlighted the tremendous amount of work he has done on
behalf of hunters during nearly five decades in Congress. In
support of Dingell, NRA held an Election Workshop in his district
in June, and we worked hard to ensure the pro-gun community was
energized and ready to bring victory to Dingell. And NRA's
efforts paid off in spades. In spite of the pronouncement from
political pundits that Dingell was facing a serious challenge
from Rivers, and despite the fact that many polls prior to
Primary Election Day, August 6, had the two in a dead heat,
Dingell ended up trouncing Rivers. But the lopsided 59% - 41%
vote didn't seem to sink in with the gun-ban lobby. Michael
Barnes, President of HCI desperately tried to spin the loss of
one of his organization's most staunch supporters. He had the
audacity to proclaim, "Although Dingell squeaked by, this race is
a warning... standing with the [pro-gun community] jeopardizes
your congressional seat." Only in the antigun fantasy world can a
near 20-paint loss be categorized as a squeaker.
We've asked before if HCI is losing touch with reality, and
outrageous statements such as this latest from Barnes will
certainly not help the group's credibility. Even today, the
gun-ban lobby seems mired in denial, as it continues to promote
its anti-Dingell campaign on its website, but has refused to post
anything about the loss of one of its great allies in Congress.
Even if HCI chooses to ignore the facts, there's no denying that
Rep. Dingell's victory is a tremendous win for the pro-gun
community. Chris Cox celebrated this victory, stating, "I would
like to congratulate John Dingell on his impressive victory...
and thank the thousands of NRA members in Michigan's 15th
Congressional District who came out and voted for John in this
primary election."
Related Stories...
More About Elections
HCI Endorses Rivers (May 2002)
Representative Dingell Pushes for NICS Reform (May 2002)
Dingell, others agree with DOJ View on Right-to-Arms (Feb 2002)
Dingell Introduces Bill to Create New Wildlife Refuge (Apr 2001)
Dingell to Reno - Why Won't You Prosecute Criminals? (Aug 2000)
Dingell Calls on Clinton to address NICS problems (Jan 2000)
Dingell Queries BATF on Y2K Unpreparedness (Jan 2000)
Post-Columbine Dingell Amendment: 1 Day Gun Show Wait (Jun 1999)
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