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NRA Backs Democratic Candidate for First Time in Four Years

In a notable shift, the National Rifle Association (NRA) has thrown its support behind a Democrat for the first time in four years.

Representative Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, who is campaigning for her second term in Alaska’s at-large congressional district, has secured the NRA’s endorsement. This marks the organization’s first backing of a Democrat since 2020 when it supported Representative Collin Peterson, D-Minn.

Peltola, on her campaign site, states she owns 176 long guns and pledges to uphold the Second Amendment rights of Alaskans. “Firearms are a fundamental part of Alaska’s heritage and subsistence living,” Peltola expressed in comments to The Hill. She emphasized that Alaskan gun owners are avid advocates of responsible firearm usage and often teach their children the same values.

Randy Kozuch, director of the NRA Political Victory Fund, explained that the organization endorses candidates who actively support and defend the constitutional right to bear arms, irrespective of their political affiliation. “Representative Peltola has been instrumental in curtailing overreach by the ATF, has supported pro-Second Amendment legislation for veterans, and has defended the use of traditional ammunition,” Kozuch remarked. He proudly noted Peltola’s robust pro-gun rights record as the basis for the NRA’s endorsement.

This election cycle, Peltola is the sole Democrat in either the Senate or the House to gain an endorsement from the prominent gun rights group. According to the Washington Examiner, it was not unusual for the NRA to support Democrats prior to the 2018 Parkland school shooting. Following the incident, the NRA pulled back on such endorsements as many Democrats advocated for more stringent gun control measures, a shift reported by the Trace.