Brandon Jones, The NRA and Endorsements
A final roundup concerning the Brandon Jones/ NRA endorsement, along with other endorsements from the group.
** I have been told that the Brandon Jones endorsement is in fact for the general election. There will not be a post-primary endorsement to come.
** Jones, along with Republican challenger Charles Busby, filled out the questionnaire and they both received an A. They opted to go with Jones, the incumbent. There have been instances in the past where both candidates received an A and they decided to endorse neither candidate. Not so much in this case.
** Incumbents are eligible to qualify for an A+; challengers can not receive a grade above A. I am not sure what prevented Jones from receiving that grade.
** I have also heard that there is no such thing as an ‘automatic endorsement’ for an incumbent. It certainly does favor incumbents though. Here is the group’s wording: “NRA has an incumbent-friendly policy that dictates our support for pro-gun incumbents seeking reelection. It is important that we stand with our friends who stand with us in Congress or the state legislature through their actions.”
** I suspect that Jones won’t be the last incumbent Democrat to receive the NRA’s backing. Of course, the GOP is targeting a number of open seats currently held by Democrats. In these cases, the NRA’s endorsement will be up for grabs and may have a greater impact.
** Look for a listing of NRA endorsements in Mississippi after the Fourth. Update: I have also been told that some candidates did not receive the questionnaire in time (or at all), so we may be seeing an initial list soon followed by additional grades later this month.
Brett,
Thanks for your attention to the National Rifle Association’s endorsement policy and its position in my race. I think the NRA sets a good example among interest groups with its trained focus on the subject most important to its members. These days, that kind of discipline is becoming more and more rare.
With respect to my race, it would be foolish of me not to acknowledge Charles’ good standing in the hunting community and his support of the Second Amendment. Whatever other issues may be lingering in this race, an abiding desire to protect the rights of lawful gun owners is not among them.
Take care,
Brandon
Rep. Jones, are you a member of the NRA? If so, when did you become a member? When was the last time you’ve been in a stand/duck blind?
In the Local paper this morning, Jack Larmour has an advertisement saying he has a “A+” rating and endorsement by NRA. Incumbent Jeff Smith has a copy of his endorsement letter on his Speaker face book page and ran a copy of a letter in the same paper Larmour did over two weeks ago. What is NRA’s policy on incumbents and can incumbents only receive A+ ratings or not, or was the District 39 incident a mistake? or fluke?
The NRA’s endorsement has less and less weight every year and endorsments of hard core liberals like Brandon Jones are why.
Stories like this make me glad I an no longer an NRA member and have exchanged it for a group that supports an entire conservative plateform – Gun Owners of America.