Rep. Richard Hanna (R-NY) is telling the public that his primary opponent, New York Republican Assemblywoman Claudia Tenney, supported New York State’s 2013 gun control legislation even though Tenney clearly voted against the bill. The Hanna camp tweeted out on Sunday:
— RichardHanna (@Hanna4Congress) June 22, 2014
" layout="responsive" width="600" height="480">Immediately following the tweet Tenney tweeted out New York Republican Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin tweeted:
— Steve McLaughlin (@SteveMcNY) June 23, 2014
" layout="responsive" width="600" height="480">— Steve McLaughlin (@SteveMcNY) June 23, 2014
" layout="responsive" width="600" height="480">Tenney and Hanna both have a 93% rating from the National Rifle Association but the NRA says they endorsed Hanna because of his “consistent and proven voting record on Second Amendment issues” in the House of Representatives. Meanwhile, Tenney received a letter from the NRA in May commending her work on defending second amendment rights in New York state.
The endorsement of an incumbent over a challenger who have the same NRA rating only means the organization believes the well financed incumbent has a better chance to win a primary over a challenger, but either way Tuesday’s results turn out, the NRA wins and no money came out of their pockets. If the NRA had issues with Tenney, the organization would have already made it explicitly clear.