The Republican Party of Virginia sees an opportunity to harness the energy of outraged gun rights voters to seize back seats in the state legislature and help President Trump win the commonwealth in 2020.
Since Democrat Terry McAuliffe was elected governor in 2013, edging out Republican Ken Cucinelli by just 2.5 percentage points, and Democrat Ralph Northam succeeded McAuliffe by winning in 2017, Virginia Republicans have struggled to fire up their base and win statewide races. More recently, on Election Day last year, Democrats swept into control of the Virginia state legislature, which Republicans had dominated for years.
But Democrats’ aggressive campaign of gun control legislation in Richmond, which includes magazine capacity restrictions and a ban on “assault-style” weapons, fired up Second Amendment activists who comprise groups such as the Virginia Civil Defense League or the National Rifle Association, which is based in the state. The activists created “Second Amendment sanctuary” counties all over the commonwealth, and Virginia Republican lawmakers took notice.
“Well, for the 5th District, I talked about, it was 10,000 square miles, 21 counties, two cities. I’ve never seen the type of mobilization of people that I’ve had that I’ve seen in the Second Amendment sanctuary movement,” Republican Rep. Denver Riggleman told the Washington Examiner.
“Twenty percent of the sanctuary localities are the in 5th [District],” he said. “I think it’s gonna mobilize voters, and I think if the Democrats go too far left on this … I think they might be the shortest term of majority rule for a party in the House of Delegates. I think you’ll have two years.”
Virginia Republican Party Chairman Jack Wilson agreed. “The energy that we’re seeing at the gun shows, for example, many more people are coming out registering to vote,” he said. “Many of them, for the first time, recognize how important their Second Amendment rights are. These are folks who are going to vote Republican, especially if the Democrats overreach like we fully expect them to do.”
Republicans are touting a new Mason-Dixon poll showing President Trump beating every Democratic contender in Virginia except former Vice President Joe Biden. Biden edges out Trump, who lost Virginia to Hillary Clinton in 2016, by just 4 points.
“But I think you’re going to see an Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders come out on this,” Riggleman said hopefully. “I don’t think you’re gonna see a Joe Biden.”
The NRA says it sees new energy and opportunity as well going forward.
“The NRA’s members and supporters have been the key to victory for many presidents, including President Trump,” NRA spokeswoman Catherine Mortensen told the Washington Examiner in a statement.
“Gov. Northam’s gun confiscation scheme has energized our members and supporters unlike anything we’ve ever seen in the commonwealth and beyond. Northam has proven that the ultimate goal of the so-called gun safety movement is really gun control and confiscation. ”
