Pride Fund Endorsed Candidate Dr. Ralph Northam Defeats Gun Lobby Candidate, Ed Gillespie

Washington, D.C. November 7, 2017 -- Pride Fund to End Gun Violence PAC – America’s only national LGBTQ organization solely focused on gun violence prevention – is extremely proud to congratulate its endorsed candidate, Dr. Ralph Northam, on his incredible victory over Ed Gillespie for Governor of Virginia.

“Dr. Northam’s victory tonight proves yet again that gun violence prevention and LGBTQ equality are winning campaign issues. Voters around the country are making it clear that they support candidates who speak out boldly and unapologetically against the dangerous agenda of the NRA,” said Jason Lindsay, Executive Director of Pride Fund.

As an Army veteran and a doctor, Ralph knows how important commonsense gun laws are for the safety of the Commonwealth. As governor, he will continue standing up to the gun lobby and prioritize the safety and equality of all Virginians. Meanwhile, Gillespie was backed by the NRA and received significant financial support from the corporate gun lobby in his election bid.

“One of the proudest moments I’ve had in my campaign for Governor of Virginia was when I received the endorsement from Pride Fund,” said Dr. Ralph Northam. “They were the first national gun violence prevention group to endorse my campaign, getting involved in May when I was still running in a primary. Together, we’ll strengthen LGBTQ rights and pass commonsense gun laws like an assault weapons ban and universal background checks to protect innocent people from senseless, preventable gun violence,” said Northam.

Pride Fund endorsed Dr. Northam in May. Since then, Pride Fund invested a variety of resources to persuade and mobilize voters to support Northam:

Pride Fund endorsed Ralph in the Democratic primary in May due to his long-standing support for gun reform and LGBTQ equality.
Made direct campaign contributions and hosted a campaign rally in July with Ralph Northam, Chris Hurst, and Pulse survivor Brandon Wolf.
Created a digital video ad, “Science Lesson,” fact checking Republican Virginia gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie’s false statements made about gun laws.
Sent volunteers from Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland, to door-to-door canvassing to get out the vote.
Volunteers from around the country phone banked to get out the vote.

He’ll continue to fight for commonsense gun legislation to keep Virginians safe. As a state senator and as lieutenant governor, Ralph was proud to vote to close the gun show loophole and to keep One-Handgun-A-Month.

Following the Pulse massacre and most recent mass shootings in Las Vegas and Texas, we are encouraged by Dr. Northam’s commitment to commonsense gun reforms and to continuing the march toward equality for the LGBTQ community. Pride Fund looks forward to working with Northam and his constituents as we reclaim our communities from the threat of gun violence.