VICTORY FOR GUN SAFETY: Jocelyn Benson Elected Governor of Michigan

WASHINGTON - Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and its grassroots networks, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, declared a major victory today as voters elected Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson as Governor of Michigan.

"By electing Jocelyn Benson, Michigan ensured they'll continue to have a gun safety champion in the governor's office who will fight tooth and nail to pass and defend hard-won gun safety laws," said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. "Anyone hoping to roll back that progress just lost their best shot, and Everytown will stand with Governor-elect Benson as she works toward a safer Michigan."

"Michigan Moms Demand Action volunteers fought for every law this state has passed to prevent gun violence, and this fall they elected a governor who will protect those laws," said Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action. "Jocelyn Benson knows what this movement has built. She can count on us to keep showing up in Lansing."

"Jocelyn Benson has stood up for Michigan families at every turn, and we're thrilled she'll be our next governor," said Hanna LoPatin, a volunteer with the Michigan chapter of Moms Demand Action. "Our volunteers talked to neighbors from Detroit to the Upper Peninsula because we knew how much was riding on this race. With Governor-elect Benson in office, we're ready to keep building a Michigan where our kids can grow up safely."

This cycle, Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and Victory Fund, and the Democratic Governors Association, announced a $3 million effort to elect gun-sense governors in Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, and Wisconsin. Last cycle, Everytown helped elect former Moms Demand Action volunteer Abigail Spanberger as Governor of Virginia, and in her first legislative session, she signed a ban on the sale of assault weapons and 20 other gun safety bills into law.

Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund endorsed 503 gun safety champions running at every level of government, from statehouses to governor's offices. Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers made more than 15 million voter contacts to help elect them.