Gun Control Activist Lori Haas Endorses Ralph Northam

On Guns, Virginia Is Not Montana

Tom Perriello's name is never spoken in Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam's latest ad, but he's the target nonetheless.Perriello's has sought to position himself to Northam's left in Virginia's closely contested Democratic gubernatorial primary. But Northam is countering by reminding liberal primary voters that Perriello once bragged about earning an "A" rating from the NRA in his successful 2008 congressional bid, and while in office he opposed reinstating a ban on assault weapons.In the Northam ad "Emily," Lori Haas, a leading state gun control activist (though she's not identified as such), testifies to Northam's commitment to expanding background checks on gun buyers."My daughter Emily was shot two times at Virginia Tech," Haas says, referring to the infamous 2007 massacre, "by a dangerous man who should have been prohibited from buying a gun." Haas recounts that after the shooting, she and other family members of victims met with Northam, then a state legislator. "Ralph was from a conservative district, but he agreed to take on the NRA and support expanded background checks. We need somebody like Dr. Ralph Northam to get it done."By citing the political leaning of Northam's old legislative district, Haas undercuts the notion that Perriello had to be supportive of the NRA to win the congressional seat in his right-leaning district. (After he lost that seat, Perriello supported a proposed national background check law.)Over in heavily rural Montana, the Democratic nominee for Congress is seen caressing his rifle . But gun politics in increasingly suburban Virginia looks very different. Northam's bet on gun control may stave off a spirited progressive challenge.