The country’s largest gun safety group is turning its attention down ballot by pumping money into local sheriff races this election.
Everytown for Gun Safety, the massive gun control group founded by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, told NBC News on Friday it's “leaving no stone unturned in the fight to end gun violence” and will spend $300,000 on digital ads in two sheriff races this year.
While that amount is just a fraction of the group's national budget — Everytown spent some $55 million on the 2020 election, and millions more this year on House and Senate races — it could prove consequential in these low-profile races. For example, one of the two sheriffs they're targeting, Tom Hodgson of Bristol County, Massachusetts, has reported spending about $221,000 on his re-election campaign through Sept. 30.
More Decision 2022 Coverage
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
County sheriffs, unlike most law enforcement officers, are directly elected by voters in most parts of the country. Their races rarely garner much attention beyond their jurisdictions but are now attracting more national interest as advocacy groups on both sides of the ideological divide look for new places to help elect their allies.
Read more at NBCNews.com.
