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Aug 5 • 7 tweets • 4 min read
.@joellahoye joined @MomsDemand in Kansas in 2015 after hearing a 911 call from a Colorado woman warning dispatchers about a man carrying a rifle down the street. She was told open carry is legal. Minutes later, the man shot and killed three people. klcjournal.com/lenexa-mom-bec…
That was the last straw for JoElla. She decided to get off the sidelines. And even though the odds were stacked against @MomsDemand volunteers in Kansas, she became chapter leader and started building a presence in the statehouse and helped broker relationships with Rs and Ds.
In 2017, when campus carry was set to become law, the Kansas @MomsDemand chapter helped pass an exemption for public hospitals, mental health centers and nursing homes through the Republican Supermajority in the statehouse and got it signed by a Republican governor.
In 2018, Jo Ella made 22 trips to Topeka during the 90 day session, and sat with other @momsdemand volunteers for a 17 hour day to help pass a domestic violence bill and stop a bill that would lower the age to conceal carry from 21 to 18. kwch.com/content/news/B…
After the 2018 legislative session ended, I visited Jo Ella and Kansas volunteers at her home in Lenexa. We talked about the obligation our leaders had to learn the ropes and then run for office. The next year, she kicked off her campaign for a seat in the Kansas statehouse.
@joellahoye won her race and has worked to require state courts and law enforcement to temporarily take custody of firearms from people convicted of domestic battery. She’s also championed dismantling Stand Your Ground laws and has been a champion of abortion rights.
Now @joellahoye is up for re-election, and it’s our turn to support her. We need every gun sense candidate in Kansas to win and protect the rights and safety of women and our communities. Please follow and support her campaign TODAY. #ksleg 

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More from @shannonrwatts

Shannon Watts Profile picture
Aug 5
IT’S WORKING: So far this year, EIGHTY NINE @MomsDemand and @StudentsDemand volunteers have won early elections or advanced through their primaries to the general election in November! #DemandASeat

DemandASeat.org
When we launched #DemandASeat last summer, our goal was to recruit and train hundreds of @MomsDemand and @StudentsDemand volunteers and gun violence survivors to run for office or work on campaigns – and so far we’re exceeding all hopes and expectations.
nytimes.com/2021/08/10/us/…
Which is further proof that voters are calling out for real solutions and leadership to our uniquely American gun violence epidemic – and there’s no one better than @MomsDemand and @StudentsDemand volunteers and survivors to rise to the challenge.
glamour.com/story/how-wome…
Read 5 tweets
Shannon Watts Profile picture
Aug 4
“The 18-point loss in a big turnout for a proposal to strip abortion rights from the state constitution suggests abortion can push swing voters to Democrats, and mobilize the their base.” axios.com/2022/08/04/kan…
“In Johnson County — suburban Kansas City — over 242,000 votes were cast Tuesday, close to the historically high voter turnout in the 2018 midterms. If that were replicated in other suburbs around the U.S., it could make a difference in crucial contests up and down the ballot.”
Coming up:

Electing @PatRyanUC to Congress in New York’s District 19 on Aug 23.

November ballot initiatives in Kentucky, California, Vermont and probably Michigan.

Close governors races in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia and Arizona. forbes.com/sites/alisondu…
Read 5 tweets
Shannon Watts Profile picture
Aug 3
THEY DID IT!!! In primaries across Kansas, Arizona, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio last night, TWENTY ONE @MomsDemand volunteers won and will advance to the general election in November.

Follow and support these gun-sense champions to help elect them this November! 👇#DemandASeat
Last night was a BIG NIGHT in KANSAS, where not only did the pro-choice movement get a huge win, but @MomsDemand volunteers @NinaforKansas, @joellahoye, @Linda4Kansas also won their primaries! Support their campaigns for more wins on issues you care about.
In ARIZONA, our gun sense candidates are up against some frightening gun extremists. Thankfully @MomsDemand volunteers @ChristinePMarsh, @lauraforAZ, @JenLongdon, @allmond4az and @nancygforAZ will be on the ballot and leading the fight for public safety. #azleg
Read 8 tweets
Shannon Watts Profile picture
Aug 1
MORE AMERICAN FREEDOM: The long-running Music Midtown festival at Piedmont Park in Atlanta in September has been called off because recent changes to Georgia gun laws prevent the festival from banning guns on the publicly owned festival grounds. #gapol billboard.com/pro/atlanta-mu…
The new changes to the law created a pathway for gun carrying individuals, who had also purchased tickets to the festival, to successfully sue event organizers if they were denied entry to an event taking place on public property.
Every festival and event in Georgia on public property is now at stake - an economic blow to a state that has been marketed a music mecca, not to mention a cultural loss for citizens being held hostage by Republicans who value gun rights more than the right to public safety.
Read 4 tweets
Shannon Watts Profile picture
Jul 31
On August 2, Kansans will decide the fate of reproductive freedom in their state as they vote on a ballot measure that, if approved, would eliminate any right to abortion in the state constitution. #ksleg
Anti-abortion lawmakers intentionally placed the amendment on the August primary ballot, when fewer Kansans would turn out to vote than would in the November general election. Republicans are used to turning out for August primaries -– Democrats and unaffiliated voters are not.
Kansas is the ONLY state with a ballot initiative on abortion this year that is not being considered during the general election — a clear indication opponents know that a majority of Kansans support abortion rights, and their hope for victory was a low turnout race.
Read 4 tweets
Shannon Watts Profile picture
Jul 31
Reminder that Georgia Rep Lucy McBath - a gun violence survivor and former @MomsDemand volunteer - has been helping to pass gun safety bills for FOUR YEARS since her election in 2018 when we flipped the House by outspending the NRA. washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/…
McBath co-sponsored or pushed for bills to expand background checks for gun purchasers, close loopholes, prohibit the unfettered sale of a firearm at gun shows or online, and close the “Charleston loophole” by extending the background check review period from three to 20 days.
She also co-sponsored legislation to fund training for detectives and for the personnel who support shooting victims and their families, reintroduced legislation that would expand background checks, and stood by President Biden as he signed executive orders to curb gun violence.
Read 6 tweets

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