Republican Rep. Abandons Reelection After Gun Control Talk Loses Him Every Conservative Endorsement, Claims He Could Still Win

Zachary LeemanJun 3rd, 2022, 4:51 pm
 

Chris Jacobs Will Not Run for Reelection

Rep. Chris Jacobs (R-NY) announced he is abandoning plans to run for reelection, saying a recent endorsement for gun control measures lost him all of his support within the Republican Party.

“This obviously arises out of last Friday, my remarks, statements on being receptive to gun controls,” Jacobs said on Friday, according to Buffalo News. “And since that time, every Republican elected (official) that had endorsed me withdrew their endorsement. Party officials that supported me withdrew, most of them, and those that were going to said they would not. And so obviously, this was not well received by the Republican base.”

Speaking in Buffalo last week, the New York congressman endorsed a ban on high capacity magazines, raising the age that people can buy certain weapons, and more measures in the wake of both the Uvalde, Texas elementary school shooting and a grocery store shooting in Buffalo where 10 Black shoppers were targeted and killed.

“I can’t in good conscience sit back and say I didn’t try to do something,” Jacobs explained about his new positions, saying recent events have been “impactful” for him. Jacobs was endorsed by the National Rifle Association in 2020.

Speaking about abandoning his reelection hopes, Jacobs claims he could still win his race even without Republican support, but the race would become a “divisive” one focused on guns.

“There’s a high likelihood that there would be a lot of outside money coming in, so it would make this gun issue the issue. And that divisiveness is not good in any effort to move this discussion forward in a productive way,” the congressman said.

Jacobs said he will still serve out the remainder of his first term.

The gun control talk from Jacobs earned swift backlash from fellow conservatives.

“We did not endorse this Chris Jacobs … he’s actually to the left of Nancy Pelosi on this,” Conservative Party state Chair Gerard Kassar told the New York Post in reaction at the time.

Donald Trump Jr. took to Twitter to accuse the Republican of having “caved to the gun-grabbers.”

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Zachary Leeman

Zachary Leeman covered pop culture and politics at outlets such as Breitbart, LifeZette, BizPac Review, HollywoodinToto, and others. He is the author of the novel Nigh. He joined Mediaite in 2022.