Following mass shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo, voters are demanding candidates who prioritize gun responsibility

SEATTLE, WA – In the wake of mass shootings in Uvalde, TX and Buffalo, NY, the Alliance for Gun Responsibility Victory Fund announced its endorsement of 62 candidates for the 2022 primary election. A record number of candidates have sought an endorsement from the Victory Fund, proving the strength and salience of the gun responsibility movement even before this month’s most recent tragedies. 

“The cost of inaction from our elected leaders, particularly at the federal level, has been made agonizingly clear in the past two weeks with mass shootings in Uvalde, Buffalo, and across the country,” said Renée Hopkins, CEO of the Alliance for Gun Responsibility. “The truth is the United States Senate should be ashamed of themselves. Children are mowed down in their classrooms and still they do nothing. Communities are frayed by the everyday gun violence in our neighborhoods and still they do nothing. They are so afraid of the gun lobby they force our communities to live in constant fear of gun violence. In the face of their inaction, we must look to our state leaders to continue acting to strengthen the policies and programs that we know work to lessen the toll.” 

The Victory Fund was established to build gun responsibility majorities in Olympia and at every level of government. Candidates are asked to complete a questionnaire and participate in an interview with Victory Fund staff before receiving an endorsement.

“In Washington, we’ve proven that the gun lobby’s stranglehold on politics can be broken,” said Stephanie Ervin, Political Director at the Alliance for Gun Responsibility Victory Fund. “We’ve proven that gun responsibility is not just an urgent issue, but also a winning one. The progress we have made here underscores the fact that inaction is a policy choice. And it is one that voters won’t accept. We are encouraged to have so many courageous candidates running for the chance to keep our communities safe.”  

The full list of endorsed candidates is below: 

Federal 

• Sen. Patty Murray
• Rep. Suzan DelBene, Congressional District 1
• Rep. Rick Larsen, Congressional District 2
• Rep. Derek Kilmer, Congressional District 6
• Rep. Kim Schrier, Congressional District 8
• Rep. Marilyn Strickland, Congressional District 10

State Senate 

• Marko Liias, Legislative District 21 
• Yasmin Trudeau, Legislative District 27
• Claire Wilson, Legislative District 30
• Jesse Salomon, Legislative District 32
• Kairen Keiser, Legislative District 33
• Joe Nguyen, Legislative District 34
• Noel Frame, Legislative District 36
• Rebecca Saldaña, Legislative District 37
• June Robinson, Legislative District 38
• Sharon Shewmake, Legislative District 42
• Jamie Pedersen, Legislative District 43
• John Lovick, Legislative District 44
• Manka Dhingra, Legislative District 45
• Javier Valdez, Legislative District 46
• Patty Kuderer, Legislative District 48

State House

• Davina Duerr, Legislative District 1, H1
• Shelley Kloba, Legislative District 1, H2
• Marcus Riccelli, Legislative District 3, H1
• Timm Ormbsy, Legislative District 3, H2
• Bill Ramos, Legislative District 5, H1
• Lisa Callan, Legislative District 5, H2
• Dave Paul, Legislative District 10, H2
• David Hackney, Legislative District 11, H1
• Steve Bergquist, Legislative District 11, H2
• Strom Peterson, Legislative District 21, H1
• Lillian Ortiz-Self, Legislative District 21, H2
• Jessica Batemen, Legislative District 22, H2
• Tarra Simmons, Legislative District 23, H1
• Drew Hansen, Legislative District 23, H2
• Laurie Jinkins, Legislative District 27, H1
• Dan Bronoske, Legislative District 28, H2
• Melanie Morgan, Legislative District 29, H1
• Jamila Taylor, Legislative District 30, H1
• Cindy Ryu, Legislative District 32, H1
• Lauren Davis, Legislative District 32, H2
• Mia Gregerson, Legislative District 33, H2
• Joe Fitzgibbon , Legislative District 34, H2
• Liz Berry, Legislative District 36, H2
• Sharon Tomiko Santos, Legislative District 37, H1
• Debra Lekanoff, Legislative District 40, H1
• Alex Ramel, Legislative District 40, H2
• Tana Senn, Legislative District 41, H1
• My-Linh Tai, Legislative District 41, H2
• Alicia Rule, Legislative District 42, H1
• Nicole Macri, Legislative District 43, H1
• Frank Chopp, Legislative District 43, H2
• April Berg, Legislative District 44, H2
• Larry Springer, Legislative District 45, H2
• Gerry Pollet, Legislative District 46, H1
• Vandana Slatter, Legislative District 48, H1
• Amy Walen, Legislative District 48, H2
• Sharon Wylie, Legislative District 49, H1

Local 

• Leesa Manion, King County Prosecutor 

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