The NRA Shouldn't Endorse Harry Reid

Jillian Bandes | July 19, 2010 8:21 AM

The NRA might endorse Harry Reid over Sharron Angle in the Nevada Senate race. Why? Reid has more power, and the NRA is brutally calculating in its assessments of who has the best ability to advance their gun rights agenda. Reid has managed to build up a reputation that he is pro-gun, and he's the most powerful member of the Senate, so — viola! The NRA could endorse the Democrat in this race.

But Reid is a scary guy. He may have established himself as pro-gun, but as the Angle campaign points out, he's got a litany of anti-gun regulations he's voted for in his long, political career. And it's clear the man will throw any special interest under the bus in order to keep himself in office. If you can say anything for Angle, it's that she's dedicated to the causes on which she is campaigning. Her commitment to the Second Amendment can't be questioned.

NRA Members for Angle is a campaign to stop Reid from getting the NRA's endorsement. They're give him the nod unless there's a lot of noise, and that their fallback position will be to not endorse anyone. Neither option is palatable for conservatives, who have a lot to lose in this high-profile Senate race.