ANTI-GUN PAC BACKING KENNEDY — A progressive anti-gun group is preparing to raise tens of thousands of dollars to help Rep. Joe Kennedy III beat Sen. Ed Markey in September.
It’s an unusual move for an anti-gun group to get involved in a Democratic primary when Democrats are so focused on getting President Donald Trump out of the White House, and wrestling the Senate back from Republicans. And the move is even more unusual because the PAC says its research shows there’s basically no daylight between where Markey and Kennedy stand on gun reform.
But Brian Lemek, executive director of Brady PAC, told me that the national profile Kennedy could bring to the Senate seat — and to the gun reform cause — is worth investing in, even when competitive general election races are happening elsewhere in 2020.
The Brady PAC aims to raise $50,000 for Kennedy’s Democratic primary campaign against Markey. The PAC is also supporting Democrats running to flip House and Senate seats from Republican control.
“We don’t need one guy, one vote, we don’t need, you know, just that good legislator, ” Lemek said in an interview. “We need that person that’s going to hit the streets, that’s going to be carrying this gun violence prevention message.”
The Brady PAC expects to direct $4 million to candidates across the country this cycle. “We’re not going to drop the million dollar [independent expenditure]. But we will sprinkle a lot of, you know, $10,000-pluses and we’ll work our large donor network to secure some of that joint fundraising as well, through emails and other methods,” Lemek said. He said there’s plenty of money to go around to Democrats challenging Republicans, like Amy McGrath of Kentucky who is trying to oust Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, while still giving to Democratic primary candidates.
“There’s enough energy to get around and do both,” Lemek said, in reference to the PAC’s support of Kennedy. “This is additive, it’s not going to take away anything else. We’re freaking pumped. I don’t know how else to say it.”
PRESSLEY TO BARR: RESIGN OR BE IMPEACHED — If Attorney General William Barr doesn’t resign, Rep. Ayanna Pressley said Democrats should use the tools available and impeach him, during her appearance on a radio show on Thursday. At the moment, Barr is in a stand-off with President Donald Trump over his Twitter habit.
Pressley called into WGBH’s “Boston Public Radio,” where host Jim Braude asked her if she agreed with Sen. Elizabeth Warren that Barr should be impeached if he does not resign. Pressley is a co-chair of Warren’s campaign.
“I do,” Pressley said. “I think we can make this about the current cast of characters and I just want to acknowledge that I know people are fatigued by the state of things and as exhausting as that is what’s more exhausting is injustice and inequities and living in the legislative hate and hurt from this administration.
“So we have to employ every tool available to us because at the end of the day this is AG Barr and Donald Trump. This is about our democracy, the law of the land, the office of presidency,” Pressley continued.
