September 15, 2016
Matt Rourke/Jaqcueline Larma/AP
Pa. Sen. Pat Toomey (L) and 2016 Democratic challenger Katie McGinty (R).
Over the past month, a pair of U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey's endorsements caught enough of my attention to bring them to yours.
Both of them were related to the issue of gun control, and they came from high-profile sources, those being Erica Smegielski (daughter of the principal slain during the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre) and Gabby Giffords (the former U.S. representative who survived an assassination attempt in Tucson, Arizona).
If you’ve been paying attention to the television ads related to the incumbent’s race against Democratic challenger Katie McGinty, you’ve seen how the issue remains a focal point.
What those endorsements meant, at least in my eyes, was that Toomey, a Republican, was getting traction for bipartisan efforts when it came to gun control, even if his critics considered the moves political pandering.
It's the type of issue that can decide the race one way or another, and it remains enough of a hot-button that a Democratic PAC called American Bridge launched a web ad on Thursday to highlight “Pat Toomey’s bad record on guns.”
The “Toomey: Sides with Special Interests Over Our Kids” ad splices news reports of being shot in, among other places, North and South Philadelphia.
It also uses a quote heard in other ads – Toomey saying “I have a perfect record with the NRA” – that the Toomey campaign deemed questionable at best since it lops off the rest of a quote where he talks about supporting background checks.
But that’s only a sliver of the ad, which American Bridge President Jessica Mackler put into a broader context.
"We should take Pat Toomey at his word: He's more interested in siding with his special interest allies like the gun lobby than taking meaningful steps to protect Pennsylvania communities,” she said. “He has an A-rating from the NRA because he opposes sensible gun safety measures like preventing military-style assault weapons on the streets.
"Toomey puts his special interest allies, especially the gun lobby, ahead of what's best for Pennsylvania families."
You can see the ad below:
Suffice it to say, you'll hear more about gun control in the next seven and a half weeks before Election Day.
