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Red Flag Law positions of politicians
Red flag laws are a pretty one-sided issue. The Constitution assures that Americans have a right to due process (5th amendment AND 14th amendments), a right to a trial by jury (7th amendment), and an individual right to keep and bear arms (2nd amendment). These rights have been reaffirmed over and over again by the Supreme Court of the United States in cases such as DC vs. Heller and Rodriguez v. United States. However, red flag laws say, to the contrary, that you have none of these rights, and, with no hearing nor fair trial, you can simply be stripped of your Constitutional rights at whim.
Despite this, several "Republicans" In Name Only, who claim themselves supporters of the Constitution, and Democrats (who are more open about their disgust with Constitutional rights, at least, just ask them about the Second Amendment) have banded together to support these red flag laws.
This is, rather obviously, totally unacceptable, so I have put together a voting guide on which senators and senate candidates will stand with the Constitution and the American people and which will stand with rich corporate donors and lobbyists over the Constitution they swore to uphold. Make sure you vote in your state's primary elections in addition to the general election, everyone (even people not part of the party in some states) has a say as to who runs.
March 10
Senator Cindy Hyde Smith is unopposed, no red flag position on record
Candidates
Cindy Hyde Smith - NO POSITION ON RECORD
Unsurprisingly, Cindy Hyde Smith won. She will face Mike Espy in the general election.
March 17
ALL candidates have pledged to fight unconstitutional red flag laws! Huge victory.
Candidates
Casey Chlebek - PRO-DUE PROCESS
Mark Curran - PRO-DUE PROCESS
Peggy Hubbard - PRO-DUE PROCESS
Robert Marshall - PRO-DUE PROCESS
Tom Tarter - PRO-DUE PROCESS
May 12
Candidates
Ben Sasse (incumbent) - CONTRADICTORY STATEMENTS
Tom Tarter - PRO-DUE PROCESS
West Virginia Republican Primary:
Senator Shelley Moore Capito says she thinks it "makes sense" to send SWAT teams to people's houses and tear them apart looking for guns, and kill them if they resist, without even accusing them of a crime. She is being challenged by the president of a hate group, Allen Whitt. There is a third candidate, Larry Butcher, who has no online presence or news coverage.
Candidates Shelley Moore Capito (incumbent) - ANTI-DUE PROCESS Allen Whitt - ANTI-RED FLAG LAW, NON-CONSTITUTIONALIST Larry Butcher - NO POSITION ON RECORD
I feel bad for those living in West Virginia, sad!
May 19
Incumbent senator David Purdue is noncommittal on red flag laws. He is challenged by two obscure candidates, Michael Jowers and James Jackson, neither of who have any online presence or media coverage.
Candidates
David Purdue (incumbent) - NO POSITION ON RECORD
James Jackson - NO POSITION ON RECORD
Michael Jowers - NO POSITION ON RECORD
Idaho Republican Primary:
Incumbent senator Jim Risch is unopposed, and has been said to oppose red flag laws, but doesn't seem to have said much on the matter.
Candidates
Jim Risch - PRO-DUE PROCESS (WEAK SOURCE)
Oregon Republican Primary:
Several Republicans are looking to challenge the incumbent Democrat senator, Jeff Merkley. Among them are Jo Rey Perkins, who appears to oppose red flag laws according to this Tweet, if you want to take that as a reliable source. None of the other candidates seem to have a significant online presence or any media coverage on their red flag positions.
Candidates Jo Rey Perkins - PRO-DUE PROCESS (WEAK SOURCE) Paul Romero - NO POSITION ON RECORD Matthew Kulow - NO POSITION ON RECORD
Kentucky Republican Primary:
Mitch McConnell, former de facto leader of the United States/most powerful man in the world (2015 to 2017) and incumbent senator, faces plenty of primary challengers. Most of his contenders either have no online presence, or, like Louis Grider, simply believe he is too old and has been in the senate too long, and needs to step down (recall that McConnell has been in the senate since 1984, and many Republicans care very strongly about term limits and look down on career politicians who stay in the same office for decades), they do not seem to have much to say on red flag laws. McConnell himself has said he would allow a vote on a red flag law only if the president supported it, and would otherwise block it, but has not stated his personal position or how he would vote.
Mitch McConnell is the incumbent, the senate majority leader, and he has 11 and a half million dollars in campaign funds (the next highest candidate in donor funding is C. Wesley Morgan, who has about around two hundred thousand). I think it's pretty clear how this one's going to go. Mitch McConnell (incumbent) - NO POSITION ON RECORD Louis Grider - NO POSITION ON RECORD C. Wesley Morgan - NO POSITION ON RECORD Naren James - NO POSITION ON RECORD Kenneth Lowndes - NO POSITION ON RECORD Nicholas Alsager - NO POSITION ON RECORD Paul John Frangedakis - NO POSITION ON RECORD
Candidates
June 2
New Jersey Republican Primary:
Neither Trisha Flanagan, Hirsh Singh, nor Rik Mehta mention red flag laws on the second amendment sections of their campaign websites. The other candidates have no significant online presence.
Candidates Trisha Flanagan - NO POSITION ON RECORD Navodaya Garepalli - NO POSITION ON RECORD Rik Mehta - NO POSITION ON RECORD Hirsh Singh - NO POSITION ON RECORD
Iowa Republican Primary:
Unfortunately, this race is not an opportunity to challenge anti-2A Republican senator Chuck Grassley. Instead, the junior senator, Joni Ernst, will face a re-election challenge. The incumbent declined to support red flag laws, while also not saying she would fight against or oppose them. She is challenged by an extremely obscure candidate named Paul Rieck, who does not seem to be a serious challenger.
Candidates Joni Ernst (incumbent) - NO POSITION ON RECORD Paul Rieck - NO POSITION ON RECORD
New Mexico Republican Primary:
Candidates who prioritized opposing red flag laws to a higher degree above other issues, Mick Rich and Gavin Clarkson, were eliminated in the state preprimary. Both Mark Ronchetti and Elisa Martinez seem to oppose red flag laws.
Candidates Mark Ronchetti - PRO-DUE PROCESS Elisa Martinez - PRO-DUE PROCESS
Montana Republican Primary: Steve Daines (incumbent) - PRO-DUE PROCESS Dan Larson - NO POSITION ON RECORD
Despite immense pressure from the media and DC establishment, incumbent senator Steve Daines is proudly upholding his Constitutional duty to protect Due Process by resisting red flag laws. He is being challenged by never-Trumper Dan Larson.
Candidates
South Dakota Republican Primary: Mike Rounds (incumbent) - PRO-DUE PROCESS Scylla Borglum - NO POSITION ON RECORD
Mike Rounds told Politico that he would not support any red flag law he had seen proposed. A one-term unelected state rep named Scylla Borglum is inexplicably challenging Rounds, claiming he doesn't support Trump hard enough.
Candidates
June 9
Maine Republican Primary:
Maine's incumbent senator, Susan Collins, has violated her pledge to support and defend the Constitution by supporting illegal red flag policies. Her only primary challenger, Derek Levasseur, was arrested, leaving her unopposed.
Candidates Susan Collins (incumbent) - ANTI-DUE PROCESS
South Carolina:
Maine's incumbent senator, Lindsey Graham, has violated his pledge to support and defend the Constitution by supporting illegal red flag policies. He is backed by 12 million dollars of deep swamp money. Unlike Graham, primary challenger Duke Buckner will stand up against these unconstitutional infringements. Of the other primary challengers, Joe Reynolds, is similarly an unamerican supporter of red flag laws. Roy Moore-style candidate Michael LaPierre, notable for his obsession with president Ronald Reagan, is opposed to red flag laws, but is not a Constitutionalist, and takes issue with other Constitutional rights retained by the people. There are also 4 or 5 irrelevant candidates who have no money or popular support behind their campaigns, I won't bother listing them here.
Candidates Lindsey Graham (incumbent) - ANTI-DUE PROCESS Duke Buckner - PRO-DUE PROCESS Joe Reynolds - ANTI-DUE PROCESS Michael LaPierre - ANTI-RED FLAG LAW, NON-CONSTITUTIONALIST
Virginia Republican Primary:
The most well-funded candidate, Victor Williams, says he will "Defend Individual Constituional [sic] Rights for American History, Free Speech. Free Religous [sic] Expression, Free Press, and Gun Posession [sic]." Well, aside from the need for a spellchecker, his heart is in the right place.
Candidates Victor Williams - NO POSITION ON RECORD Dan Gade - NO POSITION ON RECORD Omari Faulkner - NO POSITION ON RECORD
June 30
Incumbent Cory Gardner opposes the unconstitutional red flag laws. He is unchallenged in the primary.
Candidates Cory Gardner (incumbent) - PRO-DUE PROCESS
Oklahoma Republican Primary:
Incumbent Jim Inhofe has been hesitant to make concrete statements of policy positions on unconstitutional red flag laws. As for challenger JJ Stitt, the very first sentence on his website is "JJ Stitt is the strongest 2nd Amendment candidate to ever come forward," but does not say anything on unconstitutional red flag laws directly; I think it's pretty obvious he opposes them, but can't say for certain.
Candidates Jim Inhofe (incumbent) - NO POSITION ON RECORD JJ Stitt - NO POSITION ON RECORD
August 4
Arizona Republican Primary:
Incumbent senator Martha McSally has been accused by some of her primary opponents of supporting the red flag laws, but I could not find any solid evidence to prove this was the case. Dan McCarthy is against red flag laws, and accuses McSally of supporting them.
Candidates Martha McSally (incumbent) - NO POSITION ON RECORD Dan McCarthy - PRO-DUE PROCESS
Kansas Republican Primary:
Senator Pat Roberts, who wants to illegally raise the age to purchase a gun to 21, in violation of the Equal Protections Clause of the 14th Amendment, is retiring. Whoever wins the primary will almost certainly win the general, so there's a lot of money in this race. Susan Wagle, an experienced state senator, signed a declaration from Kansas state legislators against red flag laws. She has consistently shown her commitment to the Constitution of the United States.
Among her opponents, representative Roger Marshall opposes red flag laws, but his open association with hate groups would endanger the general election and could allow anti-2A, pro-Red Flag presumptive nominee Barbara Bollier to take the seat, similar to what happened when Roy Moore defeated Luther Strange in the 2018 Alabama senate race.
Football player Dave Lindstrom and Brian Matlock, a "Republican Socialist", are also in the race, neither having expressed clear policies on red flag laws.
Candidates Susan Wagle - PRO-DUE PROCESS Roger Marshall - ANTI-RED FLAG LAW, NON-CONSTITUTIONALIST Dave Lindstrom - NO POSITION ON RECORD Brian Matlock - NO POSITION ON RECORD
Michigan Republican Primary:
The candidates in this race are John James and Bob Carr - both have done a great job obfuscating their positions from the public, and neither even bothers having an "issues" section on their campaign website.
However, John James has gone on record in the past as a real Strict Constructionist who will defend the Constitution even if it means breaking ranks with his party; I would be surprised if he supported clearly unconstitutional suggestions such as red flag laws. When questioned on a semi-automatic weapons ban, he said ""A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, SHALL NOT be infringed." Enough said!"
Candidates John James - NO POSITION ON RECORD Bob Carr - NO POSITION ON RECORD
August 6
Incumbent Lamar Alexander is retiring. Bill Haggerty has outraised and outspent all his primary opponents by a wide margin, while opposing red flag laws, as well as a national gun registry. Dr. Manny Sethi, the second biggest fundraiser of the primary, also opposes these unconstitutional measures. The likely third-place candidate, Byron Bush, is running almost exclusively on the hyperspecific issue of fighting judicial corruption, in fact, it's the only issue he lists on his website's "issues" section.
Candidates Bill Haggerty - PRO-DUE PROCESS Manny Sethi - PRO-DUE PROCESS Byron Bush - NO POSITION ON RECORD Johnny JJ Presley - PRO-DUE PROCESS
August 11
Presumptive nominee Jason Lewis hasn't expressed many concrete positions on red flag laws, or anything else, for that matter - After all, why would he when he has an endorsement from Donald Trump? His only serious opponent is, for some reason the host of Cooking for Dads (???) but again, Trump endorsement, plus he has 400,000 dollars cash on hand for this election (contrast with the second highest-funded candidate, who has 8,000) so it would be surprising if this election was much of a fight. There are some other obscure candidates as well.
Candidates Jason Lewis - NO POSITION ON RECORD Rob Barrett - NO POSITION ON RECORD Theron Preston Washington - NO POSITION ON RECORD Forest Hyatt - NO POSITION ON RECORD
September 15 Delaware Primaries - Senate
Republican James DeMartino and Lauren Witzke will face eachother in the Republican primary on September 15 for the chance to challenge Chris Coons in the general election. DeMartino has not said anything on red flag laws specifically, while Witzke opposes them but is known for her open association with neo-nazis, which does not inspire a great deal of confidence in her belief in our inalienable rights. Chris Coons is a supporter of unconstitutional red flag laws.
Republican Candidates:
James DeMartino - PRO-DUE PROCESS
Lauren Witzke - ANTI-RED FLAG LAW, NON-CONSTITUTIONALIST
Democrat Candidates:
Chris Coons (incumbent) - ANTI-DUE PROCESS
Jessica Scarane NO POSITION ON RECORD
November General Election - Senate
Alabama
Democrat incumbent Doug Jones and Republican challenger Tommy Tuberville are both known for having defeated bigoted pedophile Roy Moore in their respective races. Doug Jones earlier said he was not in favor of gun control, but has since gone back on his promises and said "we need to be seriously looking at" red flag laws that would enable the murder of law-abiding legal gun owners in cold blood. Though, this stops short of an outright endorsement, and Jones has not sponsored or co-sponsored any unconstitutional red flag bill so far.
Tuberville hasn't bothered to list any position on his website.
Candidates:
Tommy Tuberville - NO POSITION ON RECORD
Doug Jones (incumbent) - CONTRADICTORY STATEMENTS
Alaska
Neither incumbent senator Dan Sullivan or Democratic challenger Al Gross list any stance on unconstitutional red flag laws.
Candidates:
Dan Sullivan (incumbent) - NO POSITION ON RECORD
Al Gross - NO POSITION ON RECORD
Arizona
Arizona's Democratic candidate, Mark Kelly, is one of the leaders of the dark money/astroturf group the Gabby Giffords Center. More or less the face of the elite 1%'rs using their money to subvert our inalienable rights.
Arizona news station KGUN9 claims that the Republican incumbent, Martha McSally, spoke in favor of terroristic and unconstitutional red flag laws, but could not provide a direct quote or other evidence of this statement.
Candidates:
Martha McSally (incumbent) - ANTI-DUE PROCESS (WEAK SOURCE)
Mark Kelly - ANTI-DUE PROCESS
Arkansas
Republican incumbent Tom Cotton is an advocate of state terrorism against gun owners who have not been accused of crimes. The Democrats, deciding that Tom Cotton is violating the Constitution enough that they don't even need to challenge him, are not running an opposing candidate. Thankfully, he has a Libertarian Challenger, Ricky Harrington Jr.
While I couldn't find many public statements by Harrington on the issue, he retweeted an attack on Tom Cotton's unconstitutional support for illegal red flag law proposals.
Ricky Harrington Jr. - PRO-DUE PROCESS
Tom Cotton (incumbent) - ANTI-DUE PROCESS
Colorado
Democratic challenger John Hickenlooper has voiced his support of unconstitutional red flag laws (a violation of the pledge he would have to take as senator to defend and uphold the Constitution), while Republican incumbent Cory Gardner has stood up for the inalienable right to due process and a fair trial.
Candidates:
Cory Gardner (incumbent) - PRO-DUE PROCESS
John Hickenlooper - ANTI-DUE PROCESS
Delaware
-TBA-
Georgia
Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff is a supporter of violent and terroristic red flag proposals. Thankfully, incumbent Republican sen. David Purdue has said he has "concerns" about red flag laws, as any sane and decent human being would.
Candidates:
David Purdue (incumbent) - PRO-DUE PROCESS
Jon Ossoff - ANTI-DUE PROCESS
Georgia Special Election
Doug Collins is running to be the Republican senator and has bravely fought for the rights of the people to be free from fascist red flag laws during his tenure as a US Representative. He is going against incumbent Kelly Loeffler, who was not elected, but appointed by the governor. Loeffler is a Mitt Romney megadonor who unloaded seven-figures worth of stocks after a private Senate briefing on the coronavirus outbreak, and refuses to make her stance on red flag laws known. Georgians deserve better than Kelly Koeffler. There are some typical neoliberal Democrat drones running as well.
Doug Collins - PRO-DUE PROCESS
Kelly Loeffler (incumbent) - NO POSITION ON RECORD
Matt Lieberman - NO POSITION ON RECORD
Raphael Warnoc - NO POSITION ON RECORD
Idaho
Jim Risch is a strong constitutionalist when it comes to standing up for our inalienable human right to due process. His Democratic opponent is Paulette Jordan, who has called herself a "proud gun owner and carrier," but also participated in the "March for our lives" bootlicker protesters. Also, when asked what her top 3 gun control proposals would be, said she would "Ban bump stocks; require gun training certification and licensure for the purchase of military grade weapons; and greater penalties for gun violence and gun negligence." No mention of red flag laws. While Jordan is far from the worst the Democratic Party has to offer, Jim Risch is significantly more dedicated to defending the human rights of his constituents.
Jim Risch (incumbent) - PRO-DUE PROCESS
Paulette Jordan - NO POSITION ON RECORD
Illinois
Mark Curran has won the Republican Primary to challenge incumbent Democrat senator Dick Durban, who is a red flag law supporter endorsed by the Fascist organization Everytown for Gun Safety.
Candidates:
Mark Curran - PRO-DUE PROCESS
Dick Durbin - ANTI-DUE PROCESS
Iowa
Iowa's election is between Joni Ernst, who declined to support red flag laws, while also not saying she would fight against or oppose them. She is challenged by some anti-Due Process insect endorsed by the Everytown Fascists.
Candidates:
Joni Ernst - NO POSITION ON RECORD
Theresa Greenfield - ANTI-DUE PROCESS
Kansas
Republican challenger Roger Marshall opposes unconstitutional red flag laws, though this should not be conflated with a support for the Constitutional rights of American citizens in general, as his association with hate groups has made clear he does not view our rights as anything beyond privileges the government may extend or decimate at its leisure.
His opponent, Barbara Bollier, supports fascist red flag laws.
Candidates:
Roger Marshall - ANTI-RED FLAG LAW, NON-CONSTITUTIONALIST
Barbara Bollier - ANTI-DUE PROCESS
Tennessee
Bill Hagerty is heroically standing up for due process against his opponent, Marquita Bradshaw, who supports state terrorism against innocent people accused of no criminal wrongdoing.
Candidates:
Bill Hagerty - PRO-DUE PROCESS
Marquita Bradshaw - ANTI-DUE PROCESS
Supporting unconstitutional red flag laws
"Republicans"
Marco Rubio (Florida)
Rick Scott (Florida)
Lindsey Graham (South Carolina)
Pat Toomey (Pennsylvania)
Susan Collins (Maine)
Tom Cotton (Arkansas)
Shelly Moore Capito (West Virginia)
Chuck Grassley (Iowa)
Mitt Romney (Hell)
Tom Tillis (North Carolina)
Mike Braun (Indiana)
Todd Young (Indiana)
Rob Portman (Ohio)
Ted Cruz* (Texas)
Rand Paul** (Kentucky)
Ben Sasse(?) (Nebraska)
Democrats
Richard Blumenthal (Connecticut)
Dianne Feinstein (California)
Chris Murphy (Connecticut)
Ed Markey (Massachusetts)
Jeanne Shaheen (New Hampshire)
Christine Gilibrand (NY)
Bernie Sanders (Vermont)
Kamala Harris (California)
Dick Durbin (Illinois)
Tammi Baldwin (Wisconsin)
Angus King (Maine)
Bob Casey Jr. (Pennsylvania)
Bob Menendez (New Jersey)
Brian Schatz (Hawaii)
Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts)
Cory Booker (New Jersey)
Chris Van Hollen (Maryland)
Maggie Hassan (New Hampshire)
Ben Cardin (Maryland)
Maria Cantwell (Washington)
Defending the right to Due Process for Americans
Republicans
Steve Daines (Montana)
Jim Risch (Idaho)
Mike Crapo (Idaho)
Mike Rounds (South Dakota)
James Lankford (Oklahoma)
John Barrasso (Wyoming)
John N. Kennedy (Louisiana)
Cory Gardner (Colorado)
Dwayne Buckner (South Carolina candidate challenging Lindsey Graham)
Peggy Kandies (South Carolina candidate challenging Lindsey Graham)
Mick Rich (New Mexico candidate) (source is a Soundcloud video, he talks about this around the 14 minute mark) - Lost pre-primary
Kris Kobach (Kansas candidate)
Bradley Byrne (Alabama candidate) - Lost race
Derek Levasseur (Maine candidate) - Arrested
Matt Innis - Nebraska candidate
ALL Republican candidates (Illinois)
Ted Cruz* (Texas)
Rand Paul** (Kentucky)
Democrats
Lol
*Ted Cruz has both espoused support for and disavowed red flag laws at different times, depending on who he is talking to. It's no surprise the president called him a liar.
**Rand Paul endorsed red flag laws, saying "I’m not opposed to sort of an emergency order for 48 hours," but also got mad at then-AG nominee William Barr for supporting the same red flag laws.
Supporting unconstitutional red flag laws
"Republicans"
John Katko (New York CD 24)
John Curtis (Utah CD 3)
Rodney Davis (Illinois CD 13)
Mario Diaz-Balart (Florida CD 25)
Fred Upton (Michigan CD 6)
Steve Stivers (Ohio CD 15)
Mark Amodei (Nevada CD 2)
Bill Flores (Texas CD 17)
Gus Bilirakis (Florida CD 12)
Garret Graves (Louisiana CD 6)
Michael McCaul (Texas CD 10)
Pete Olson (Texas CD 22)
David Joyce (Ohio CD 14)
Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon(Puerto Rico At Large)
Defending the right to Due Process for Americans
Republicans
Brett Kokinadis (NM CD1 Candidate) - Eliminated in pre-primary
Karen Bedonie (NM CD3 Candidate)