The National Rifle Association has endorsed Republican state Reps. Ann Clemmer and Bruce Westerman in their respective congressional bids.
Both candidates received A ratings from the group, which are reserved for a “solidly pro-gun candidate” who “has supported NRA positions on key votes in elective office or a candidate with a demonstrated record of support on Second Amendment issues.”
Clemmer released a statement on her endorsement Monday. Westerman’s campaign announced the endorsement by the NRA’s Political Victory Fund on Friday. Westerman is seeking the 4th Congressional District seat, which primarily represents southwest Arkansas. Clemmer is vying for the 2nd Congressional District, which includes most of central Arkansas.
The group released ratings in four state Senate and 21 state House races and endorsed 16 Arkansas candidates total.
Clemmer said in a statement Monday that she and her husband are members of the NRA and the Benton Gun Club.
Clemmer said through a spokesman that she learned how to shoot as a girl growing up on a farm in northeast Arkansas. Her favorite gun is a Colt revolver that she keeps at her bedside, which was given to her by her father-in-law, the spokesman said.
“There is no organization that voters trust more than the NRA to inform them on who will best defend their Second Amendment Rights. I am proud of my pro-gun record, and receiving the NRA endorsement is a true honor,” Clemmer said in a written statement.
Retired Army Col. Colonel Conrad Reynolds, who is also seeking the 2nd District Republican nomination, received a question-mark rating, which the group defines as “Refused to answer the [political action committee’s] Candidate Questionnaire, often an indication of indifference, if not outright hostility, to gun owners’ and sportsmen’s rights.”
Reynolds disputed the claim, insisting he had responded and answered all the questions. He said in an email that he was “shocked and dismayed that Rep. Clemmer received the endorsement over me, until we realized that our questionnaire was lost.”
“I am a lifetime member of the NRA. I’m the only one in this race who has put their life on the line to defend our Second Amendment rights. My level of commitment dwarfs any actions that the others have ever done to support that right,” Reynolds said.
A Washington, D.C.-based spokesman for the NRA said he was not familiar with the details of the case but would contact the state liaison and respond today.
French Hill, a Little Rock banker and the third Republican candidate in the 2nd District’s primary, received a grade of AQ , which the group defines as “A pro-gun candidate whose rating is based solely on the candidate’s responses to the … Candidate Questionnaire and who does not have a voting record on Second Amendment issues.”
Hill did not respond to a written request for comment.
The winner of the 2nd District’s Republican primary will face Democrat Patrick Henry Hays and Libertarian Debbie Standiford in the general election. The winner of the Republican nomination for the 4th District will face Democrat James Lee Witt and Libertarian Ken Hamilton.
Westerman said in a statement that the Second Amendment, which provides for the right to bear arms, “guarantees the rest of the Constitution.” He said the group recognized him for sponsoring two bills and voting for 12 others that limited restrictions on guns in 2013.
“In Congress, I look forward to continuing to protect the Second Amendment rights ofArkansans from the unfair, topdown, centralized government of Barack Obama that threatens our liberties,” Westerman said.
Westerman said in an interview that he learned to shoot at age 4 or 5 and has hunted a variety of game in the state, including raccoon, quail, duck, turkey, deer, rabbit and squirrel. He said one of his favorite guns is a Remington 870 pump-action shotgun he got from his father as a high school graduation gift.
Tommy Moll, Westerman’s only Republican primary opponent, received an AQ rating from the NRA.
Moll spokesman Peter Somerville said Moll’s rating represents a “perfect score” that tied with Westerman’s, but that the group broke the tie by including the representative’s voting history in the state House.
Moll said in a statement that he was “proud to have received a 100-percent score from the NRA. If elected to Congress, I will fight to defend the Second Amendment rights of all Arkansans.”
Hal Bass, a political science professor at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, said the endorsements are not necessarily a game-changer, but that they “certainly can’t help but help.”
“It’s obviously a boost to both campaigns. I don’t think it’s a deathblow to the other campaigns. … I think there’s a lot of competing factors when you assess the viability of the campaigns,” Bass said, citing other endorsements, fundraising and the campaign’s structure.
Bass said endorsements are more important in the primaries than in the general election. The endorsements provide a way for special-interest groups to set candidates apart during the primaries, he said.
Bass said the NRA’s endorsements also carry more weight because of the group’s ability to get voters engaged and “energized” about candidates and issues.
“They’re very good at communicating their preferences, and their members are going to go to the polls with that in mind,” Bass said.
Arkansas, Pages 7 on 04/22/2014