WASHINGTON _ The political action committee started by former Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords endorsed Republican Sens. Pat Toomey and Mark Kirk in their re-election efforts. Americans for Responsible Solutions, which supports candidates who support gun control, endorsed Toomey, who is running for re-election in Pennsylvania, over Democrat Katie McGinty. Toomey worked with Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., on legislation improving background checks.
The endorsement comes as Toomey also received support from former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's group Independence USA. That group released an ad featuring the daughter of the principal of Sandy Hook Elementary School, who was killed in Newtown, Conn., in 2012.
Kirk is in a tough re-election fight against Democratic Rep. Tammy Duckworth in Illinois. Giffords' op-ed praised both senators for supporting the background check legislation.
She also wrote how difficult some of the endorsements were.
"With so many more candidates running on a gun violence prevention platform, in some places the changing politics of gun safety has made our endorsement decision difficult," she wrote.
Giffords became an advocate for gun control after she was shot in 2011, which ultimately led to her resignation from Congress. In her op-ed for CNN with her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, Giffords also praised McGinty and Duckworth.
"In Pennsylvania, Katie McGinty is a passionate advocate for gun violence prevention and would be a consistent vote for life-saving gun safety laws in the Senate. Likewise, Tammy Duckworth of Illinois is not only a decorated veteran and an American hero, but has been a champion for commonsense gun laws in the House. We have no doubt she would continue to be a leader on gun safety in the Senate."
Kirk released a statement after the announcement thanking the organization.
"The only way to break through the partisan gridlock in D.C. is by working across the aisle to reach bipartisan solutions," he said. "And I remain committed to working with Republicans and Democrats alike to get the job done and end the cycle of gun violence."
