Fighting the NRA in Chicago: Robin Kelly for Congress

Robin Kelly, taking on the NRA's minions The primary for the special election in the Chicago-based Illinois 2nd Congressional District wasn't supposed to be this interesting. It's an indigo Blue district that would presumably deliver a perfectly progressive congressperson.

Yet in a bizarre political twist, it has become a proxy battle in the war for sane gun policy.

David Nir recently wrote about how gun control has become a central theme in this debate:

What I find most remarkable, though, is how the Sandy Hook tragedy seems to have focused this race on an issue that I can't ever recall seeing featured so prominently in a Democratic primary: guns. But this district, centered on some of the most impoverished parts of Chicago's South Side and riven by violence, is certainly one place where this debate has particular resonance. Indeed, on Tuesday, just blocks away from the 2nd's northern edge, a 15-year-old high school student who had just attended the inauguration was shot dead in a park.

And when it comes to gun violence, [Robin] Kelly is the only member of the trio with the kind of record that's in tune with the voters of this district. She's made gun control a central part of her campaign and says she "could not be more proud" of her lifetime "F" rating from the NRA. Hutchinson and Halvorson, meanwhile, have both earned "A"s from the group.

Kelly is perfect on our Orange to Blue Candidate Questionnaire, which is to be assumed in this district. But who could've predicted that we'd get a very real chance to deal a blow to the NRA, in this turf, at this time?

We need to tear the NRA out of Congress, not strengthen its influence. Bloomberg's anti-gun Super PAC is already softening up the frontrunner, former Rep. Debbie Halverson. We can and should do our part to join the effort.

You want real gun reform? Make the NRA radioactive. Get engaged in this battle with a $3 contribution to Robin Kelly. Heck, give more if you can. The primary is Feb. 26, so we don't have much time.

And if you're in Chicago (and I know tens of thousands of you are), become a volunteer.

This is a critical moment in the history of our movement: the first time we stop playing defense against the NRA, and the first time we start going on the offensive. Don't sit this one out. I'm kicking things off with my own $100 contribution. This one is important.