Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

Wisconsin Pro-Gun Victory Shows Bloomberg’s Weakness: You, the Voter

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Wisconsin Pro-Gun Victory Shows Bloomberg’s Weakness: You, the Voter

In our August issue, we introduced you to Sheriff David Clarke of Milwaukee County, Wis. Sheriff Clarke is quickly becoming one of the most effective and powerful voices in support of our Second Amendment-protected freedom. And because of that, he earned a political target on his back from none other than Michael Bloomberg himself.

Sheriff Clarke was up for re-election—as a Democrat—in the Wisconsin primary election this past August. I’ll let the sheriff describe the situation in his own words: “Mr. Bloomberg, the former Mayor of New York, made a huge political miscalculation when he sauntered into my territory of Milwaukee County, Wis.—a solid-blue county that overwhelmingly votes Democrat—expecting an easy signature win for his failing crusade to disarm law-abiding Americans,” Clarke wrote in The Washington Times.

Why did Bloomberg focus on this race? His spokesman told the Wall Street Journal that “the issue of guns is one that [Bloomberg] cares an awful lot about and there’s a very clear contrast on that issue in this race.” But the political message was darker, and unmistakable. Bloomberg sent an emissary to Sheriff Clarke to tell him that “this one is personal with me.” Bloomberg desperately wanted to knock the sheriff off the national stage and send a message to law enforcement officials everywhere.

What drew Bloomberg’s ire? Sheriff Clarke told the residents of his county that they should be prepared to defend themselves against criminal attack. “Calling 911 and waiting is no longer your best option,” he said in public service announcements that quickly drew national attention. Another announcement from the sheriff heralded the passage of Right-to-Carry legislation in Wisconsin, saying “Armed criminals are being put back on the street by a soft-on-crime court system. … are you prepared to handle a life or death threat? Wisconsin Personal Protection Act now gives you the same advantage that I have.”

Bloomberg found a local ally to help funnel his cash into the election. It turns out that Milwaukee has its own version of Bloomberg, a county executive named Chris Abele who does not appreciate Sheriff Clarke’s pro-gun stance and who is independently wealthy. Sound familiar? One estimate put the combined spending of Abele and Bloomberg to oust Sheriff Clarke at more than $800,000—a staggering sum for a municipal race. Their ads mischaracterized the sheriff’s record, with one going so far as to say “Clarke’s mismanagement is threatening our safety.” Another insulted him, calling him a “fake cowboy.”

Sheriff Clarke was unfazed by the onslaught of negative, deceptive advertising. The sheriff calmly told the local media that “I trust the voters. The voters can’t be bought.” And he was absolutely correct. On Election Day, voter turnout nearly doubled from his previous election against the same opponent. Bloomberg’s ham-fisted meddling influenced thousands of Republican voters to “cross over” and cast their ballots for Clarke in the Democratic primary, which is perfectly legal in Wisconsin. And by the end of the day, Clarke had prevailed by a vote of 52 to 48 percent.

Bloomberg was not heard from in the wake of his defeat, but Sheriff Clarke had plenty to say. “This was no ordinary defeat for Mr. Bloomberg. … Losing to a local sheriff in a county dominated by Democratic Party voters just might have set his futile movement back to a point of no recovery,” Sheriff Clarke wrote in The Washington Times.

His comment hearkened back to the remarks of Colorado State Senator Angela Giron, who was subject to a recall election after she voted for a package of Bloomberg-backed gun restrictions. Her message before her recall vote was clear. “If they [Bloomberg’s group] lose even one of these seats, they might as well fold it up. And they understand that,” she told The New Republic.

But apparently they don’t understand that, because in the wake of each defeat, Bloomberg just steps up the funding for the next election he tries to buy with his inexhaustible billions of personal wealth.

That brings our story to November 4, Election Day, just a few short weeks from when you will read this column. By then, Bloomberg is likely to have spent an astounding $50 million to meddle in elections across the country, trying every outlandish tactic he can think of to defeat candidates who support our Second Amendment-protected rights. His goal is to pack Congress with anti-gun politicians who will rubberstamp the Obama/Bloomberg gun control agenda.

It will take all of our votes to stop him. Go to the polls on November 4, and Vote Freedom First!

IN THIS ARTICLE
Chris W. Cox
TRENDING NOW
U.S. Senate Adds Pro-Gun Tax Relief Language Back into Reconciliation Bill

News  

Saturday, June 28, 2025

U.S. Senate Adds Pro-Gun Tax Relief Language Back into Reconciliation Bill

Overnight, the U.S. Senate added pro-gun tax relief language back into the Reconciliation bill after the Senate Parliamentarian struck out an earlier provision.  While this new provision is not as expansive as the language we advocated for which ...

U.S. Senate Forced to Remove Pro-Gun Language from Reconciliation Bill

News  

Friday, June 27, 2025

U.S. Senate Forced to Remove Pro-Gun Language from Reconciliation Bill

Today, the U.S. Senate was forced to remove the pro-gun language that had been previously included in the Reconciliation Bill currently making its way through the chamber. We explained in a previous article that this language would, ...

U.S. House Passes Reconciliation Bill, Removing Suppressors from the National Firearms Act

News  

Second Amendment  

Thursday, May 22, 2025

U.S. House Passes Reconciliation Bill, Removing Suppressors from the National Firearms Act

Earlier today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R.1 the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which included Section 2 of the Hearing Protection Act, completely removing suppressors from the National Firearms Act (NFA).

U.S. Court of Appeals Backtracks on Adverse Suppressor Ruling

News  

Monday, June 23, 2025

U.S. Court of Appeals Backtracks on Adverse Suppressor Ruling

In a single sentence, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit added to the high-profile and consequential national conversation on firearm suppressors.

Armed Churchgoers Prevent Mass Attack as State Lawmakers Plot More Gun Control

News  

Monday, June 30, 2025

Armed Churchgoers Prevent Mass Attack as State Lawmakers Plot More Gun Control

Just over an hour away from the state capitol in Lansing, Michigan – even as lawmakers worked feverishly to pass various gun control measures, including expansion of “gun free” zones – a chilling reminder unfolded of the ...

Urge the U.S. Senate to Pass the One Big Beautiful Bill – Contact Your U.S. Senators Today!

News  

Monday, June 30, 2025

Urge the U.S. Senate to Pass the One Big Beautiful Bill – Contact Your U.S. Senators Today!

The U.S. Senate has cleared a number of procedural hurdles and is preparing to vote on the One Big Beautiful Bill. This vote will likely come within the next day. The One Big Beautiful Bill includes ...

Canada’s Big Ugly Gun Grab: An Update

News  

Monday, June 30, 2025

Canada’s Big Ugly Gun Grab: An Update

Canada’s Liberal government is pressing on with its harebrained gun ban and confiscation program for “assault style weapons,” but, true to form and precedents, it has been far from smooth sailing.

North Carolina: Update on Gun Bills Moving through the General Assembly

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

North Carolina: Update on Gun Bills Moving through the General Assembly

Recently, House Bill 193 (H193) was reported favorably out of both the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Rules Committee, with amendments.

News  

Second Amendment  

Friday, June 27, 2025

Joint Statement from Pro-Gun Groups on the Senate Reconciliation Bill

On behalf of millions of NRA members and gun owners, we stand united in calling on Congress to uphold Americans' Second Amendment rights and zero out the NFA's excise tax on suppressors and short-barreled firearms.

Argentina President Milei Continues to Make Improvements to Country’s Gun Laws

News  

Monday, June 30, 2025

Argentina President Milei Continues to Make Improvements to Country’s Gun Laws

We’ve reported before about Argentina President Javier Milei expanding access to firearms for law-abiding Argentinians.

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.