VICTORY FOR GUN SAFETY: 13 Moms Demand Action Volunteers Elected to Virginia General Assembly as Gun Sense Majority Grows in HouseMoms Demand Action Volunteers Represent 20% of[...]

Everytown Invested $400k in Key State Legislative Battleground Districts, Running Digital Ads Highlighting MAGA Opposition to Common-Sense Gun Safety Laws

WASHINGTON - Today, Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and its grassroots networks, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, released the following statements celebrating the successful election of 13 Moms Demand Action Volunteers to the Virginia House as voters grow the gun sense majority. Everytown invested $400,000 in key state legislative battleground districts and Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers contacted nearly 250,000 Virginia voters over the last 8 months..

"From knocking on doors to winning seats, Moms Demand Action volunteers are leading the fight to protect Virginia families," said Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action. "Tonight's results show that gun safety continues to be a winning issue across the Commonwealth. These advocates took the leap to run for office, and we couldn't be prouder to see their hard work pay off. Virginia will be safer because of their relentless commitment to saving lives."

"Moms Demand Action volunteers have changed the political landscape in Virginia, both as grassroots activists and elected officials," said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. "We're incredibly proud that Moms Demand Action volunteers make up 20% percent of the historic Virginia House majority, which is a testament to the political power of the gun safety movement."

Everytown's recent polling showed gun safety remained a powerful force with Virginia voters, finding that crime and public safety was a top issue for Virginia voters - ahead of health care, jobs and the economy, and immigration. 79% of Virginia voters said a candidate's position on guns is highly important to their vote and Virginians support prioritizing gun safety over gun rights by a more than 2 to 1 margin.

Everytown has made Virginia a proving ground for the gun safety movement, outspending the NRA over the last several election cycles to build strong, durable gun sense majorities. Despite the NRA's claims that they were "pounding the pavement" and "deploying staff and resources to push pro-gun candidates in Virginia to victory," as of last week, total NRA spending on Virginia's 2025 elections was just over $31,500. Everytown is on track to outspend them by more than 55-to-1.

Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and the Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund spent seven figures to help gun sense candidates flip the House of Delegates, defend the Senate, and elect our Moms Demand Action volunteers-turned-candidates up and down the ballot in the 2023 cycle. Our messaging framed weak gun laws and MAGA extremism as direct threats to community safety, successfully flipping the script on misleading crime attacks and winning battleground voters who named crime as a top concern.

In 2021, Everytown Victory Fund launched the Demand a Seat educational program to train grassroots volunteers and gun violence survivors to take the next step in their advocacy efforts by running for office and working on campaigns. Since then, the program has trained more than 1,200 volunteers across 47 states and Washington, D.C. and elected 522. In the 2024 election cycle, nearly 600 Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers - many of whom graduated through the Demand a Seat program - ran for office across 46 states. 47% of volunteers ran for their state legislature, 26% for city council or county commission, and 21% ran for other local offices, including mayor, school board, and sheriff.