Where We Work, We Win!

It was a long journey through election season, but one thing remains clear: Gun safety is a winning issue.

Our wins this cycle prove that the fundamental politics on guns has changed: Fifty-six percent of 2022 voters supported stricter gun safety measures and gun safety consistently ranked among the top concerns for voters.

Our work, our candidates, and our endorsements showed that gun sense candidates can run on gun safety and win.

From key governor’s races in Wisconsin and Maryland, to Senate races in Pennsylvania and Colorado, to sheriff elections in Massachusetts and New Mexico, we made history and elected leaders who will continue fighting for gun safety.

Our Gun Sense Candidates won: Our candidates consistently made the case that candidates beholden to the gun lobby are a risk to our health and public safety—supporting abortion bans while opposing common sense gun safety laws that put families and law enforcement at risk.

Electing more of our Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action will make a difference in fighting the gun industry’s extremist agenda and make this country safer for our kids.

We’re so proud of the 150+ Moms Demand Action volunteers who were elected during this 2021-2022 cycle, not to mention the record 5,000 Gun Sense Candidates who ran for office in all 50 states! Plus our thousands of incredible volunteers reached out to more than 6 million voters that helped get out the vote across the country!

And thanks to the hard work of our volunteers and candidates, we have the opportunity to build on our momentum. Because this isn’t a moment to back down.

From key governor’s races in Wisconsin and Maryland, to Senate races in Pennsylvania and Colorado, to sheriff elections in Massachusetts and New Mexico, we made history and elected leaders who will continue fighting for gun safety.

Through our Demand a Seat program, we’ll continue recruiting and training volunteers and survivors to work on campaigns and run for office. We’ll keep electing gun-safety advocates who champion our rights in city halls, state houses and Congress. And if lawmakers won’t protect our kids, we’ll take their jobs and do it for them.

Building our bench is long-term work.

By raising our voices, by volunteering, and by creating the next generation of candidates who will roll up their red sleeves and get to work, we will keep building on our wins, but first, let’s celebrate the midterms and the hard work from our thousands of volunteers and candidates:

Illinois Wins

Voters in Illinois elected sixteen Moms Demand Action volunteers to office, including county board members, state representatives and senators, city council members and sheriffs. These volunteers include Nabeela Syed, a Muslim, Indian American woman who flipped a GOP-held district and will be the youngest member of the Illinois General Assembly, and the re-election of State Representative Maura Hirschauer, who has been a champion for gun safety in the Illinois General Assembly since she was first elected.

Michigan Wins

Nine Michigan Moms Demand Action volunteers ran for office and won, including the re-elections of former Moms Demand Action volunteers State Representative Brenda Carter and State Senator Mallory McMorrow.

And for the first time in decades, Michigan will have a gun sense trifecta with Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s re-election and new Democratic majorities in the House and Senate. Moms Demand Action volunteers were also elected to judicial and school board seats, who will prioritize gun violence prevention in Michigan.

The previous legislature’s makeup led to serious roadblocks in passing important policies to reduce gun violence in Michigan—any attempts to pass critical policies (like laws prohibiting convicted misdemeanor domestic abusers and those who pose a risk to themselves or others from possessing firearms or any measures that would require firearms to be stored securely) were immediately shut down. But thanks to the hard work of our volunteers and candidates, the door is wide open for lawmakers to pass much-needed public safety measures to protect communities from gun violence.

Oregon Wins

Oregonians have already elected nine Moms Demand Action volunteers for office, from mayor to city council members, state representatives and state senators, voters are ready for more common sense measures to keep guns out of the wrong hands. We were proud to support and invest in the passage of Measure 114, requiring a permit for all gun sales and prohibiting sales of high-capacity magazines in Oregon, because gun safety remains a winning issue in Oregon!

Rhode Island Wins

Rhode Island, after passing historic gun safety legislation this summer, elected seven Moms Demand Action volunteers to office, including five running for seats in the General Assembly and two to town council positions who are all committed to championing common sense gun safety laws that will protect our communities and save lives.

We’re Just Getting Started

Our Demand a Seat program will continue providing opportunities for mentorship, networking and high-quality educational training to encourage even more Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action grassroots volunteers and gun violence survivors to run for office up and down the ballot. Since the launch of Demand a Seat, we have provided training to almost 400 volunteers and candidates for office, and is part of a $3 million investment in educational training and mentorship opportunities for grassroots volunteers considering campaigns at the local, state, and federal levels.

In 2022 alone, we helped pass more than 45 gun safety laws and blocked hundreds of attempts by the gun lobby to weaken gun laws. In addition, over $860 million was allocated to gun violence prevention programs by state legislatures—a new record. We’ll continue to show up wherever decisions are made about our safety. Like we say, if you don’t protect us, expect us.

Demand. Run. Change.

Demand a Seat is training grassroots volunteers and gun violence survivors to take the next step in their advocacy efforts by running for office and working on campaigns to elect gun sense candidates.

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