A leading Democratic contender for California's gubernatorial nomination got a big boost Monday from gun control advocate and former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D., Ariz.) and her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly.
Giffords and Kelly, who endorsed Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom in January, released the ad in support of his bid to lead California, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The couple declares America is on the precipice of tackling the "gun violence epidemic," as pictures of marching students flash across the screen.
"Our country is at a crossroads," Kelly says. "Our children are demanding we stop America’s gun violence epidemic."
The couple lambasts national Republicans for failing to act on gun control in the wake of the Parkland school shooting. As Kelly speaks, the ad shows tweets from President Donald Trump, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R., Wis.), and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) paying their condolences to the victims of gun violence.
"Yet, many of our leaders cower behind empty rhetoric," Kelly states.
Giffords and Kelly then offer Newsom's advocacy for Proposition 63, a 2016 California ballot initiative that is opposed by the NRA, as an antidote to what they see being GOP inaction. The initiative aimed to enhance background checks and banned the possession of magazines holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition. The measure passed but has not been fully enforced after Judge Roger Benitez ruled in 2017 that portions of it pertaining to magazines are likely unconstitutional.
"But Gavin Newsom doesn't just talk. Gavin took on the NRA and won," Kelly says. "While others laid low, Gavin passed California's first comprehensive gun safety initiative."
In one of her only lines throughout the ad, Giffords claims Newsom will "always" stand up to opponents of gun control.
"Gavin will always stand up to the gun lobby," Giffords says.
Giffords became a prominent figure among gun control advocates after a 2011 assassination attempt left her critically injured with a gunshot wound to the head.
The campaign video comes as the California gubernatorial primary, which pits members of all political parties against each other on one ballot, enters the home stretch. Recent polling has shown Newsom holding a single-digit lead for first place, with a contentious race for second between former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D.) and Republican businessman John Cox.
The top two vote-getters of the June 5 primary, regardless of party, will face one another in a head-to-head matchup in November.
In January, Giffords and Kelly snubbed a Democratic field of over 10 other candidates to endorse Newsom's bid for governor. In a statement laying out their reasoning for the endorsement, Giffords exalted California's tough gun control laws and stated she was endorsing Newsom because there was "more work to be done."
"California’s next governor will play an important role in building on the state’s reputation as a leader in the fight against gun violence," Giffords said at the time. "California has set an example for other states to follow and has tackled the epidemic head on, but there is more work to be done. Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom’s exceptional record as a gun safety champion makes him uniquely qualified to take on that challenge."
Those who lost out to Newsom on the endorsement included Villaraigosa, who championed some of the toughest gun control measures during his tenure leading the nation's second-largest city, and California State Treasurer John Chiang (D.), who led the failing effort to disinvest the state's pension system from retailers who sell guns.