A key message from yesterday’s post on the challenging climate we’re facing here in Pennsylvania is that we need Democratic gun owners to show up in a big, big way. If you’re a Pennsylvania gun owner who is registered as a Democrat, you don’t have the option of staying home for the primary election.
Consider that the most “moderate” of the Democratic gubernatorial candidates on record only wants to ban your rifles. (Whether you decide to cast your lot with the one seeking the least amount of gun control or the far-left progressive who can’t win statewide is up to your own voting strategy.)
But as of tomorrow, one of the more extreme gun control advocates is dropping his gubernatorial bid to instead challenge a pro-gun Democratic House member for an open Senate seat.
The Senate seat in question has been primarily Democratic since 1963, so it is likely that the Democratic primary will serve to determine the final office holder, regardless of the election in November. The Democrats who have held it before have been very pro-gun, and hopefully we can keep that tradition. Right now, State Rep. Jim Wansacz currently holds an A rating and is hoping to continue the trend. But tomorrow he will be challenged by Chris Doherty who wants to limit the number of guns you can buy, end statewide preemption, make your license to carry obsolete, and possibly create a formal gun owner registry to track how many guns you try to purchase. It doesn’t matter if you’re a carry advocate, recreational shooter, hunter, or all three, your status as a lawful gun owner under Chris Doherty will be impacted in a very negative way.
That’s one nice thing about Pennsylvania, we still have some pro-gun Democrats. It means that Democratic voters who actually respect the Second Amendment will often have a choice of candidates. In this case, it’s pretty clear that Rep. Wansacz needs your vote, your political donations, and your time.
I registered Democrat just so I could vote in their primaries :)
I thought about it. But I thought I could make a bigger difference locally by registering and voting in the GOP primaries. If I lived in either the 14th or 22nd Senate districts, I would do it without a second thought. I’ve been a Democratic primary voter before, and I’m not opposed to going back.
“The Senate seat in question has been primarily Democratic since 1963, so it is likely that the Democratic primary will serve to determine the final office holder, regardless of the election in November.”
Heh, not necessarily. Remember where I live! : ]
That being said, good for you, Sebastian, Gun ownership should never be a partisan issue.
Hence the use of the word “likely.” It’s not impossible, but the electoral history clearly favors Democrats. And since it’s better to have a choice of pro-gun candidates to choose from (at least one would hope the GOP wouldn’t try to run an anti-gunner in a historically pro-gun seat), it’s vital that Democratic gun owners turn out in the primary to send the anti back to Scranton.