Unlike the NRA, Michael Bloomberg’s gun control organizations have depended on a few billionaire donors, notably Bloomberg himself. But what is most notable in this election is that while they spent about $26 million by the middle of October, they have stayed away from running ads on gun control. Bloomberg’s gun control groups have felt that the best way to push for more gun control is to gun ads on health care and energy.
When the group has bought advertising it has shied away from gun control. In ads targeting swing-state Republicans, the group has focused on issues like health care and energy production. The downturn in spending coupled with the messaging shift could signal that liberal donors and strategists believe gun control is not a winning 2020 issue—especially with recent record gun sales and a rush of new gun owners across the country.
Stephen Gutowski, “Leading Gun-Control Group Abandons $60 Million Spending Pledge,” Washington Free Beacon, October 23, 2020.
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