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The NRAs national convention began in Houston only days after a mass shooting at a Texas school, creating an uncomfortable juxtaposition that led some speakers to withdraw. Others, including former President Donald Trump, went ahead with their plans to speak.

McCrory blamed institutional breakdown from the federal to local level for not preventing horrific events such as the Tuesday shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and said gun violence was a cultural problem.

McCrory, who lost a GOP primary for one of North Carolinas Senate seats earlier this month to Rep. Ted Budd, said the culture of gun ownership and the symbolism of guns was a manifestation of Americans distrust with the criminal justice system and the sentiment that Im going to take this into my own hands.

I was the mayor [of Charlotte] for 14 years and I had reduced the murder rate by over 50 percent due to some tough law enforcement, and some mentoring, and other programs, he said. I lost the primary two weeks ago to a congressman who had a gun in his front trousers in a commercial.

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North Carolina Republican: NRA has been pushed to the right - POLITICO

WATERLOO, Iowa (KWWL)- In the wake of mass shootings at a hospital in Tulsa, a supermarket in Buffalo, and an elementary school in Uvalde, lawmakers are under growing pressure to take action.

House Democrats are pushing legislation that, among other things, would raise the legal age to buy an assault weapon from 18 to 21 and make it a federal offense to sell or possess high-capacity magazines. A bipartisan group of Senators is working on a bill that includes boosting school security measures and expanding background checks.

There is also growing criticism of some of the Republican members of Congress over the amount of campaign contributions they have accepted from the National Rifle Association.

According to the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, Senator Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, ranks sixth among all current senators in NRA contributions. As of 2019, the center said Ernst received $3,129,723 in her political career from the NRA. Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has accepted more than $225,000 in his career. Neither Grassley nor Ernst responded to a request for comment from KWWL on Thursday.

KWWL also searched for NRA contributions on the Federal Election Commissions website.

"Congresswoman Hinson supports the Second Amendment," Hinson Campaign Manager Sophie Crowell said in a written statement. "In Congress, she's focused on bolstering school safety, equipping law enforcement with resources and training, and delivering critical mental health resources to our communities to prevent gun violence."

None of the other members of Iowa's Republican Congressional delegation responded to KWWL's request for comment and questions about how much money they received from the NRA.

lth resources to our communities to prevent gun violence."

Megan Goldberg, an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Cornell College, said there is not much research to support the idea that special interest groups can buy votes in Congress. Instead, the significant donations can buy meeting time with lawmakers.

"Interest groups donate to candidates who already support their policies, which buys them access later," she said. "It buys them energy and effort on the part of that member of Congress, but it doesn't always change that vote at the end."

Dr. Chris Larimer, a Professor of Political Science at theUniversity of Northern Iowa, Coordinator of UNI'sMaster in Public PolicyProgram and KWWL Political Analyst said the NRA does not spend as much on contributions to candidates as compared to other groups. However, the organization is still a powerful force in politics.

"It's not just isolated to one region of the country.," Larimer said. "They do have a lot of political force because they have large numbers, they are well financed and geographically dispersed across the country."

Goldberg said the reak power of the NRA is its ability to mobilize its base, for or against a candidate, particularly in a primary.

"The NRA is good at getting their members to turn out to vote," she said. "Primaries are low turnout elections, and they're low information, so the NRA can be powerful, especially in state primary elections when you're talking about state legislators."

The NRA does report cards for politicians, grading their past votes and willingness to adopt gun control measures. Goldberg said even without spending any money, the NRA still exerts pressure on Republican lawmakers. Many are fearful of what could happen if they go against the NRA.

"There's probably some fear of backlash among especially Republican candidates that a bad grade by the NRA could be used by an opponent later, even if the NRA isn't directly sort of spending any money there," Goldberg said.

Larimer said an A or A-Plus grade from the NRA can influence a Republican primary. It can mean more for specific candidates depending on the districts they are running for.

"That's viewed as more credibility on what is considered Republican issues," he said.

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Tracking the NRA's Contributions to Iowa's Republican members of Congress - kwwl.com

Retired Navy Capt. Hung Cao prevailed in Saturdays 11-way Republican nomination in Virginias 10th Congressional District.

As of Sunday afternoon, the district Republican committee had yet to post numerical results from the firehouse primary. The party posted that Cao won around 2 a.m.

Cao's campaign later stated he won by 18 percent in the crowded field.

Cao, who served in U.S. special operations for more than 25 years, is an immigrant from Vietnam who spent seven years in Africa before moving to the U.S. and joining the Navy.

Cao will be on the ballot with incumbent Democrat Jennifer Wexton this November. Politico rates the 10th District as "likely Democratic."

Last year, Virginians sent a clear message when they elected Governor Youngkin to lead our state in Richmond, and now, we are ready to send another message by electing a common-sense conservative outsider to represent this district in Washington, Cao said in a news release. The Biden-Wexton agenda has failed our district in more ways than one, and its time we hold them accountable for the record crime rates, out-of-control inflation, botched foreign policy, and indoctrination of our children in the classroom.

Eleven candidates were vying for the nomination. In addition to Cao, they were Loudoun County School Board member John Beatty, David Beckwith, Mike Clancy, Manassas City Councilor Theresa Coates Ellis, John Henley, Prince William County Supervisor Jeanine Lawson, Caleb Max, Jeff Mayhugh, Brandon Michon and Brooke Taylor.

In a statement Sunday, Lawson thanked her volunteers and supporters and endorsed Cao.

It is critical that we defeat Jennifer Wexton and her extreme agenda this fall, and I will be proud to support Hung in doing just that, she said.

Wexton was first elected to Congress in 2018. Before that, she served in the Virginia General Assembly.

Ive spent my career in public service working to improve the lives of the children and families in our community, and I am excited to continue sharing my record of bipartisan success delivering for my constituents throughout this reelection campaign," Wexton said in a statement Sunday.

In Rappahannock County, which joined the 10th district after redistricting, turnout was higher than party leaders anticipated.

As the polls were nearing closing on Saturday afternoon, Rappahannock County Republican Committee Chair Terry Dixon said close to 300 Republican voters cast their ballots in the canvass. He had only expected between 100 and 200 party members to show up.

Dixon attributed the higher than expected turnout to Republican resentment with rising inflation and interest rates, as well as newfound energy in the base over the increasing likelihood that the U.S. The Supreme Court may overturn Roe v. Wade and strip Americans of abortion rights. Republicans have the energy right now and theyre mad and thats what it takes, he said. You know, people gotta be angry and mad to get something done.

Campaign representatives for Cao, Beckwith, Beatty and Clancy were stationed outside the polling place, located at Rappahannock County Elementary School.

Campaign volunteer Ed Timperlake stands at the Hung Cao tent in Rappahannock County during the GOP's 10th District firehouse primary Saturday.

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Cao wins Republican nomination in 10th District | Headlines | insidenova.com - Inside NoVA

Opinion: Matt Salmon is the last remaining high-profile Republican in Arizona with any combination of guts, morals and common sense. Which voters used to think of as good things.

They are either cowards or comrades.

Its difficult to tell which is worse, and it includes every prominent Republican in Arizona … with the exception of gubernatorial candidate Matt Salmon.

Among elected members of the GOP, and those seeking nominations for the states highest offices, the only person publicly condemning Republican state Sen. Wendy Rogers for her vile comments and her unhinged advocacy of false, specious conspiracies the only one saying she should resign from office is Salmon.

Sadly, he is apparently the last remaining high-profile Republican in Arizona with any combination of guts, morals and common sense.

That is a tragedy.

Every political party, team, social club or service organization occasionally includes someone that you absolutely do NOT want on your side. Someone whose moral compass has reversed its polarity, north pointing south, truth pointing to lies, civility pointing to cruelty, reality pointing to fantasy.

Like when Rogers called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a globalist puppet for Soros and the Clintons and claimed that half of the combat footage taken in the city of Kyiv was a video game.

Or when she suggested that people she proclaimed to be traitors should be publicly hanged. Or when she threatened to personally destroy the career of any Republican who partakes in the gaslighting of me.

Or when she called the white nationalists at the America First Political Action Conference in Florida patriots. And sang the praises and expressed love for the groupsracist, anti-Semitic leader, Nick Fuentes, who told attendees at the gathering, Now, theyre going and saying, Vladimir Putin is Adolf Hitler, as if that isnt a good thing.

It goes on.

Most recently, Rogers has been peddling the white nationalist replacement theory, which suggests that Democrats and elites are trying to flood the U.S. with brown and Black immigrants in order to secure political power. And she went so far as to suggest that the Buffalo shooting may have been a false flag event directed by the federal government.

What kind of people would what such a person in their political party?

Republicans, it seems.

Former TV news reader and Republican candidate for governor Kari Lake is thrilled to have Rogers endorsement. The two have a back and forth Twitter lovefest.

As when Lake tweeted:

Senator Wendy Rogers is a proven fighter whether it was 20 years in the Air Force or going against the woke political left and their media activists constantly trying to take her down. I cannot wait to fight alongside her for the America First agenda!

Likewise, GOP governor candidate Karrin Taylor Robson has bragged about helping Rogers get elected. She tweeted:

As Chairwoman of Arizonas Republican Legislative Victory Fund, I was proud to support @WendyRogersaz who overcame millions of dollars in attacks from the Left to win and help us protect our one-seat conservative majority!

Is truth an attack?Or is it, simply, truth?

Last week, on KTARs The Mike Broomhead Show, Matt Salmon said, I think that this conspiracy theory she (Rogers) has, that the federal government is behind the latest horrible attack, that it was a red flag issue, its completely bogus. And I reject that and I reject her, and I believe that she should step aside.

Salmon has spoken out about Rogers before.

He told Broomhead, The last time around when she said that anybody that disagreed with her, she was going to come after them and that that the people that she disagreed with should be hung on the gallows, I called on her to resign at that time. And thats the strongest thing that I can possibly say, and I reiterate that again now.

Without naming Lake or Robson he added, I think its sad that … one of them helped her (Rogers) get elected and is proud of that and says that all the time. The other one pals around with her all the time and takes her pictures with her and has endorsed her and has been endorsed by her.

Hes right. That is sad.

Sadder still is the reason Salmon is on an island in his condemnation of Rogers.

Its because all those other high-profile Republicans know that being honest, showing a little integrity and a little guts, will hurt youwith Arizonas Republican base.

Reach Montini at ed.montini@arizonarepublic.com.

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Why is Matt Salmon the only GOP governor candidate trashing Sen. Wendy Rogers? - The Arizona Republic

Allan Fung, a Republican House candidate in Rhode Island, is positioning himself to benefit from a red wave nationally that could wash over even the deep blue Ocean State.

Congressional Democrats have long weathered red waves in Rhode Island, which in 2020 voted 59% for President Joe Biden to 39% for former President Donald Trump. But the surprise announcement in January by 21-year congressional Democratic veteran Rep. Jim Langevin that he will retire from the states lighter blue of its two districts, in a fraught year for Democrats, has given the GOP a pickup opportunity.

The 2nd Congressional District covers southern and western Rhode Island. House Republicans need to net five seats in the 435-member chamber to reclaim the majority the party lost in 2018.

Fung brings to the race ample name recognition from his 2009-2021 tenure as mayor of Cranston, Rhode Island's second-largest city, and a reputation for governing as a centrist.

TOP RHODE ISLAND REPUBLICAN ENTERS RACE THAT COULD FLIP CONGRESSIONAL SEAT

'Im not running to be hyperpartisan in this election or bring even more hyperpartisanship to Washington, D.C., Fung told the Washington Examiner. I want to be a voice of moderation, just like I've been in Cranston, addressing the problems that are really hitting us in our wallets and pocketbooks.

Fung, who ran unsuccessfully for Rhode Island governor in 2014 and 2018, does not have the Republican nomination to himself. He'll face former state Rep. Bob Lancia, who ran unsuccessfully in 2020 against Langevin for the 2nd Congressional District seat. Redistricting made minimal changes to apportionment in the state.

Fung is likely the most electable Republican candidate in a state that still favors Democrats.

The thing that he offers is, he offers a respectable, middle-of-the-road Republican alternative, Maureen Moakley, political science professor emeritus at the University of Rhode Island, told the Washington Examiner. It's an uphill battle, but it's not out of the realm of possibility.

The last Republican to represent the district was former Rep. Claudine Schneider, from 1981-1991. Lincoln Chafee was the last Republican the state sent to Washington. He was a senator for seven-plus years but was ousted by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) in the 2006 Democratic wave. Chafee was subsequently elected governor as an independent and then became a Democrat.

Moakley believes Democrats risk losing the seat if they move too far left. Polling indicates that General Treasurer of Rhode Island Seth Magaziner is the clear front-runner in the Democratic primary, which takes place on Sept. 13 along with the Republican contest. Magaziner is a battle-tested politician who handily won two statewide elections to become treasurer.

Fung lost both of his statewide bids for governor to Democrat Gina Raimondo, which took place the same years as Magaziners victories. Fung is hoping to learn from that experience and emphasized that he did extremely well in the 2nd District during those elections.

As a candidate, Fung has staked out centrist positions on some key issues. He has expressed opposition to late-term abortions but also total bans and has sought to paint himself as a consensus-builder, highlighting his cooperation with Democrats when they controlled the Cranston City Council.

RHODE ISLAND REPUBLICAN DROPS CONGRESSIONAL BID, CLEARING WAY FOR FUNG

Ironically, Fung began his political career as a Democrat. He had been a member of the College Democrats of America and approached the party about running for a seat on the Cranston City Council in 2002 at the age of 32. But the party rebuffed him, informing him that they did not have a slot for him.

Fung was distraught with the way his hometown Cranston was being managed. The city had a rapidly deteriorating financial outlook at the time, with Fitch Ratings downgrading its credit rating. Fung was eager to attain a seat on the council to help right the ship. After being cast aside by the Democrats, he had coffee with Randy Valenti, a Republican Party official who talked Fung into running for the council as a Republican.

I've always been, you know, fiscally conservative, especially coming from a small business background, Fung said. A lot of those principles is what Randy and I shared. We had a good discussion, and thats what I see in what I delivered during my time as mayor.

Fung went on to win that race, planting the seeds for his rise to mayor in the 2008 election. As mayor, Fung took aim at the citys fiscal woes, addressing pension funding and other politically dicey issues. By 2016, the city had made the Wall Street Journals list of Americas 50 Best Cities to Live for the third time in a row.

Now, he sees a similar situation with the countrys fiscal picture and hopes to help tackle the unbridled inflation and surging energy prices stinging the nation.

I see a lot of similar fiscal problems facing this crisis, with a lot of policies that have been put in place by not only the Biden administration but by the Pelosi Congress, Fung said. With the basic cost of living crisis, where we're paying skyrocketing gas prices, home heating oil prices, groceries, and theres even labor shortages.

Fung is also concerned about elevated crime, particularly in urban regions of the country. When he visits friends in New York City, he refrains from using the subway due to concerns over anti-Asian violence in the city and opts for an Uber instead.

It's an eerie feeling. You know, when you're there. It's a different feeling, and I'm more cautious and guarded because of what is still happening in some of our urban areas, Fung said. I think it's a lot of these crazy, extreme progressive policies where they're focusing on defund the police. I will always do what's right to make sure that there's the proper investments in our law enforcement.

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Magaziner has swiped at Fung over a photo of him wearing a winter beanie at Trump's inauguration in 2017. The image has haunted him, as the former president remains deeply unpopular in the state. Fung has sought to steer clear of political food fights with the former president but has not been an ardent supporter of him publicly either.

He is putting that out there because he wants to distract from the real issues that are on the minds of people, Fung said. I have not heard of any sound solutions to really help many of our residents, and that's why he wants to roll, you know, that old photo out.

Magaziner raised roughly $1.4 million during the first quarter of 2022, dwarfing Fungs $502,000, per the Providence Journal. If Fung is able to pull off an upset victory, it would mirror his wife Barbara Ann Fenton-Fungs 2020 triumph, in which she ousted Democratic Speaker Nick Mattiello in a state House race. It was the first time a sitting speaker of the General Assembly had suffered an electoral defeat in over 114 years.

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Rhode Island GOP House hopeful Fung sees Republican wave hitting the Ocean State - Washington Examiner