Gun safety group Giffords unveils $15M campaign to help Harris, other Democrats

The gun safety group Giffords unveiled a $15 million campaign to help Vice President Harris’s campaign and other Democrats.

The organization, founded by former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.), is spending the money to reach voters through television, digital and mail advertisements.

“The efforts will support elected allies up and down the ballot and promote policies that close loopholes and save lives,” the organization said in a statement. “It will also bolster Vice President Kamala Harris’ historic bid for the White House.”

Giffords staff will also be deployed in several states to “make the case directly to voters.” First reported by NBC News, the efforts will be targeted in swing states including Arizona and Michigan, as well as in California and New York, where competitive races could determine who controls the House.

“With just over 100 days until election day, GIFFORDS will redouble its efforts to support champions who are committed to saving lives — including ensuring that Vice President Kamala Harris becomes the next president of the United States,” Giffords Executive Director Emma Brown said in a statement.

The advertisements will be focused in congressional districts where gun violence messaging is “powerful among women and Latino voters.” The organization said its efforts are backed by research and polling that target where gun violence is an issue of concern to voters and where the upcoming races on the ballot may be close.

Giffords was shot in a 2011 assassination attempt in Tucson, Ariz., that killed six people and injured 13. Giffords suffered a severe brain injury and resigned from Congress nearly a year later.

She is now a gun control activist and is married to Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), who is among a few rumored candidates that could join Harris on the presidential ticket this fall.