"Marylanders are lucky to have this man heading to the Senate," Helmke said. "He's a smart and principled leader."
Yeah, I'm the luckiest guy on the face of the earth.
Brady Campaign Says Candidates Supporting Common Sense Gun Laws Win Convincing Primary Victories
Wed Sep 13, 3:54 PM ET
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/2006091...ctories156_xml
Contact: Peter Hamm of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, 202-898-0792
WASHINGTON, Sept. 13 /U.S. Newswire/ -- In primary elections yesterday, candidates who strongly supported efforts to prevent gun violence were victorious. In two state Senate races in Maryland and in the primary contest for New York Attorney General, that lesson was exceptionally clear, said the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
In one of the most closely watched races in Maryland, incumbent State Sen. John Giannetti was unseated by his Democratic primary opponent, former ambassador Jim Rosapepe, who pounded Giannetti in Senate District 21 for killing the state's assault rifle ban in a prior session of the legislature. In an open race for another State Senate race in Maryland, newcomer candidate Mike Lenett won out over established state legislators by stressing his support from Sarah Brady.
"I couldn't have won this race without the help of Sarah and Jim Brady and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence," Rosapepe said.
Lenett won the Democratic nomination in Maryland Senate District 19. As Counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee and Committee leaders Joseph Biden (D-Del.) and Howard Metzenbaum (D-Ohio) in the early 1990s, Lenett was one of the key staff members in the U.S. Senate responsible for securing the votes to pass both the Brady Law and the ban on military-style semiautomatic assault weapons. Sarah Brady and the Brady Campaign endorsed him in February.
"To Jim and I, Mike Lenett is family," said Sarah Brady. "We will never forget how much he did in a historic fight to keep guns out of the hands of criminals."
"Marylanders are lucky to have this man heading to the Senate," Helmke said. "He's a smart and principled leader."
"The support of Sarah Brady and the Brady Campaign were a great help in my victory," said Lenett. "The issue of gun violence really matters to voters in my district, especially when it comes to getting deadly assault weapons off our streets in Maryland."
In New York, meanwhile, Democrat Andrew Cuomo, who stressed his career fighting against the National Rifle Association, swept away his opponent to win the Democratic nomination for Attorney General.
The results follow the victory of Ed Perlmutter several weeks ago in the Democratic primary to run in the general election for the U.S. House of Representatives in Colorado District 7. He differentiated himself from his principal primary opponent by stressing that he was a champion of gun violence prevention. Another supporter of common sense gun laws, Tim Kaine, won an upset victory as Virginia's governor last November.
On the road ahead to Election Day Nov. 7, the gun issue will be in play. In Illinois and Wisconsin, incumbent governors will be running for re-election on policies squarely on the side of sensible gun laws. Both candidates for the U.S. Senate in Rhode Island and Ohio will be supporters of sensible gun laws. Some key House races like the Colorado one, in states like Pennsylvania, will feature passionate debates on the issue.
In the Maryland race in Senate District 21 yesterday, Rosapepe consistently hit Giannetti for blocking the assault weapons bill and thus compromising the safety of his constituents. The Brady Campaign announced last year it was naming Sen. Giannetti as one of its principal national targets for the 2006 election season in a letter to hundreds of thousands of supporters.
"Over the past year, we have been focusing on Sen. Giannetti and his opposition to the assault weapons ban. Now he has learned a tough lesson -- adopting the gun pushers' dangerous agenda is not only bad for public safety, it's bad politics," said Brady Campaign President Paul Helmke.
In another closely watched national race, Rhode Island's U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee, a solid supporter of sensible gun laws, prevailed over a primary challenger.
In New York, Cuomo's victory "is a very special thrill," Sarah Brady said. "He has been in our corner for many, many years," Brady said. "I was very happy to support him, and I'll work hard to help him win in November."
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