Supreme Court Confirmation Votes Cost Reid NRA Endorsement
A National Rifle Association official indicated Friday that the organization will not endorse Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in his re-election bid, but the official stopped short of saying whether it will endorse his GOP opponent, the Associated Press reported.
Christopher W. Cox, chairman of the NRA’s Political Victory Fund, tied the decision to the Nevada Democrat’s support for Supreme Court nominees Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor. Cox said the organization had warned lawmakers that the NRA would factor in their confirmation votes on Kagan when choosing endorsements. Kagan was confirmed Aug. 5, and Sotomayor was confirmed in August 2009.
“The vote on Elena Kagan’s confirmation to the court, along with the previous year’s confirmation vote on Sonia Sotomayor, are critical for the future of the Second Amendment,” Cox said, according to the AP.
Cox did not say whether the NRA would stay neutral in the Senate race between Reid and Republican Sharron Angle.
The NRA has donated to Reid’s campaign this election cycle, but not to Angle’s, Reid campaign manager Brandon Hall said. The group gave $4,950 to Reid, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.