Senator Flake's Opposition To Background Checks Drives Down His Job Approval Ratings Among Arizona Voters

Mayors Against Illegal Guns to Run Full-Page Ads on Flake's Deteriorating Job Approval Ratings Due to His Position on Background Checks, Which 90 Percent of Arizonans Support

New Bipartisan Legislation From Senators Toomey and Manchin Would Close Loopholes That Let Criminals Get Guns; www.DemandAction.org

NEW YORK CITY, April 15, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Mayors Against Illegal Guns today announced that it is running full-page ads highlighting how Senator Jeff Flake's opposition to background checks negatively affected his approval ratings among Arizona voters, 90 percent of whom support comprehensive background checks.  The new ad will appear in Monday and Tuesday publications of The Hill, National Journal, Politico and Roll Call.  The full-page print ad – along with the broadcast ads that previously aired in Arizona television and radio on Senator Flake's opposition to background checks – can be seen here: http://www.DemandAction.org/Flake

After Senator Flake voted against comprehensive background checks in the Senate Judiciary Committee (March 12, 2013), Mayors Against Illegal Guns ran television and radio advertising (from March 27 through April 7, 2013) informing voters of Senator Flake's opposition to comprehensive background checks.  As a result, polling of likely voters by Douglas E. Schoen LLC both before (January 26-28, 2013) and after the brief media run (April 8-9, 2013) showed that voters' perception of Senator Flake deteriorated:

• In April, 43% of voters disapproved of Senator Flake's performance as a Senator, a net increase of 9% from before the advertising began — when only 34% disapproved of his performance.
• Senator Flake's favorable/unfavorable rating had a net negative movement of 7%, dropping from 39% favorable and 44% unfavorable to 34% favorable and 46% unfavorable in April.
• When asked in April if Senator Flake deserves re-election, only 24% of voters say that he deserves re-election.

The coalition of more than 900 mayors and more than 1.4 million grassroots supporters is advocating for bipartisan legislation by Senator Joe Manchin and Senator Pat Toomey that would close the loopholes that allow criminals to get guns by requiring background checks for commercial gun sales – including at gun shows, online and via classified ads.  A vote on the bill is expected this week. 

Last week, the coalition released a fact sheet on the Manchin-Toomey bill and also announced that it was airing ads in key states – represented by both Democrats and Republicans – where it can most influence the upcoming Senate votes including Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota and Tennessee.  The ad – which can be viewed here – urged viewers to call their senators and ask them to join the bipartisan effort for comprehensive background checks. 

About Mayors Against Illegal Guns

Since its creation in April 2006, Mayors Against Illegal Guns has grown from 15 members to more than 900 mayors from across the country. We have more than 1.5 million grassroots supporters, making us the largest gun violence prevention advocacy organization in the country.  The bipartisan coalition, co-chaired by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, has united the nation's mayors around these common goals: protecting communities by holding gun offenders accountable; demanding access to crime gun trace data that is critical to law enforcement efforts to combat gun trafficking; and working with legislators to fix weaknesses and loopholes in the law that make it far too easy for criminals and other dangerous people to get guns.  Learn more at www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org

Contact:
Mayor Bloomberg's Press Office (212) 788-2958
Mayor Menino's Press Office (617) 635-4461

Erika Soto Lamb: esotolamb@rabengroup.com or 646-580-5281
Alex Katz: akatz1@cityhall.nyc.gov or 617-721-3779

SOURCE Mayors Against Illegal Guns