ORLANDO, FL, JULY 12, 2018 – Pride Fund to End Gun Violence PAC – America’s only national LGBTQ political organization focused solely on gun violence prevention – today announced its re-endorsement of Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy in Florida’s 7th Congressional District, a district with many families directly impacted by the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting. Pride Fund was critical in this race, helping Murphy defeat 24-year Republican incumbent John Mica, a gun lobby backed candidate who accepted a campaign contribution from the NRA just 48 hours after the Pulse tragedy, in a vile act of disrespect to those impacted by Pulse. Since her election, Murphy has been a leading voice in Congress and has sponsored bills such as the Gun Violence Research Act, which amends the Consolidated Appropriations Act to eliminate the prohibition on the Department of Health and Human Services using federal funds to advocate or promote gun safety. Pride Fund endorsed Murphy for re-election because she stands for the core principles of Pride Fund – advancing commonsense gun reform and LGBTQ equality.
"I am inspired by the grassroots history of the Pride Fund - survivors of the Pulse shooting and victims' families coming together to end gun violence and promote LGBTQ equality," said Murphy. "Our government's inability to address gun violence is one of the main reasons I ran for Congress, and my victory would not have been possible without the endorsement and support from the Pride Fund. I am honored to once again earn their support as we keep fighting for LGBTQ equality and commonsense gun safety reforms that reduce gun violence and save lives," said Murphy.
“Since her election in 2016, Congresswoman Murphy has been one of the most outspoken leaders in Congress on the issue of gun violence,” said Jason Lindsay, Founder and Executive Director of Pride Fund. “Pride Fund was pivotal in Murphy’s 2016 race, ousting an NRA puppet who accepted blood money following the murder of 49 Americans at Pulse nightclub. Murphy’s race was Pride Fund’s top target in the 2016 cycle, and now she’s bringing commonsense solutions to address America’s epidemic of gun violence and is getting bipartisan support. We knew she was the fresh leadership we needed in Congress and that she would honor the memory of the Pulse victims by fighting for change in the Capitol,” said Lindsay.
From the beginning of Murphy’s 2016 campaign against then-Representative Mica, Pride Fund was actively engaged. We saw an opportunity to flip the seat and elect a leader who would stand up for their constituents; not the interests of the gun lobby. Murphy received Pride Fund’s full support: we maxed out our direct PAC financial contribution and ran a SuperPAC independent expenditure campaign highlighting then-Representative Mica’s blood oath with the NRA. The ad reached over 50,000 people, and we mobilized a substantial number of volunteers. When we got involved, Murphy was 18 points behind in the polls. With Pride Fund’s help, she won by 2.8%, flipping a long-time Republican seat to Democratic hands.
Murphy’s likely Republican opponent this November is Republican Mike Miller, a current member of the Florida House of Representatives whose opposition to gun safety laws that the majority of Americans and Floridians favor has earned him an “A”-rating from the NRA. In June while the Orlando community came together to honor the Pulse victims and survivors on the two year anniversary of the shooting, Rep. Mike Miller was out of town holding a fundraiser in Miami instead of being with his mourning community, the community he hopes to represent in Congress. His priority is clearly campaign cash and not representing his community on one of its darkest days.
Both Republican contenders in the FL-07 race, Mike Miller and Scott Sturgill refused to respond to Pride Fund's candidate questionnaire that asked simple questions about the candidates' positions on gun safety and LGBTQ equality. "Their refusal shows they don't want the public to know where they stand on addressing our nation's epidemic of gun violence that takes the lives of 38,000 Americans every year. But I can almost guarantee you that both candidates answered the NRA's questions about their stances," said Lindsay.
“We look forward to Murphy’s continued leadership in Congress and will fight tooth-and-nail to ensure that she is re-elected. We support Murphy for re-election because of her demonstrated commitment to support equality and safety for all, and for her commitment to acting on commonsense gun reform,” said Jason Lindsay. “We need elected officials who will stand up for people – not for the profits of the corporate gun manufacturers.”