NRA chooses Edwards in Texas (Chet Edwards, TX-17, is a Democrat)

Politico ^ | 8/9/10 | Kasie Hunt

[randita]

NRA chooses Edwards in Texas By: Kasie Hunt August 9, 2010 06:57 PM EDT

Texas Rep. Chet Edwards is the latest endangered Democrat to win a critical conservative credential: an endorsement from the National Rifle Association.

Edwards’s campaign announced he had received the pro-gun rights organization’s backing on Monday. "I cannot imagine any candidate in our district who would not want the endorsement of the NRA Victory Fund, which is by far the largest gun rights organization in the country,” Edwards spokesman Megan Jacobs said in a statement.

Edwards is facing self-funded businessman Bill Flores, who has attacked him for voting in favor of the bank bailout and the stimulus bill.

“Bill Flores is a strong supporter of the 2nd amendment, filled out a perfect NRA questionnaire that received an AQ rating, is a life member of the NRA and the Texas State Rifle Association and has already been endorsed by Gun Owners of America. Bill will never receive an F rating from the NRA as Congressman Edwards did in 2003,” said Flores campaign manager Matt Mackowiak.

Edwards has been a GOP target for nearly a decade and has yet to lose a race—even though former President George W. Bush calls his district home.

Still, the national political environment is working against him, and Republicans have been quick to note Flores’s internal polling shows him ahead.

Both Edwards and Flores raised over $600,000 between April and June, though Edwards is sitting on more than $2.1 million in cash to Flores’s $415,000.

That makes the NRA endorsement all the more welcome—and Edwards isn’t the only vulnerable Democrat to win NRA support this year. Mississippi Rep. Travis Childers and Virginia Rep. Rick Boucher also have the group’s backing, a welcome endorsement for both.

Ties with conservative congressional Democrats have been key for the NRA. The group’s influence allowed it to negotiate a loophole in sweeping campaign finance legislation designed to limit outside groups’ influence in elections. The bill, dubbed the DISCLOSE Act, didn’t pass muster in the Senate.

But the NRA has taken flak from its conservative membership for supporting candidates on the left— and has been particularly roiled by suggestions it would endorse endangered Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The group ultimately issued a statement saying it had not yet made a decision about whether to endorse Reid.

© 2010 Capitol News Company, LLC

[TheOldLady]

Yes, and finding those Size 5 men’s hunting (and hiking) shoes was a bear.

[jim-x]

Once I find my NRA card, I intend to mail it back to their HQ office this week.

Any recommendations on a narrative for the letter attached?

Use it for target practice before you send it in (just a few holes - from a small caliber). Or fake it using an appropriately sized center punch or pen to make a couple or holes.

Narrative: NRA is making huge, unrecoverable mistakes at a time when most of their membership are already pissed off!