Battling anti-gunners is nothing new to Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke (see our feature story in the August issue of America’s 1st Freedom, p.36). But taking on Michael Bloomberg’s megabucks in a very closely contested election is a whole different ballgame.
Clarke, despite being greatly outspent, won the mid-August Democrat primary against Milwaukee Police Lieutenant Chris Moews, who was backed by a half million dollars of anti-gun contributions, including $150,000 directly from Bloomberg.
“Michael Bloomberg was hoping to get an easy win here and then parade my head around on a platter saying, ‘That’s what will happen to other candidates throughout the country who don’t get on board with me and my anti-gun position,’” Clarke said the day after the election. “And he got his rear end handed to him.”
You might remember from our earlier feature that Sheriff Clarke supports the right of Milwaukee County citizens to protect themselves and their loved ones with privately owned firearms. He made that point clear in a series of public service announcements (psa).
“I’m Sheriff David Clarke, and I want to talk to you about something personal: your safety,” Clarke said in one psa. “With officers laid off and furloughed, simply calling 9-1-1 and waiting is no longer your best option. You could beg for mercy from a violent criminal, hide under the bed or you can fight back. But are you prepared? Consider taking a certified safety course in the handling of firearms so you can defend yourself until we get there. You have a duty to protect yourself and your family. We’re partners now. Can I count on you?”
Clarke was strongly supported in the election by the National Rifle Association and its members throughout the country.
“I want to thank the nra,” Clarke said. “This was a 24-hour operation the last weeks of the campaign to smear me, to attack me, to attack my reputation. Only through the support of nra and its members was I able to survive.”
Chris W. Cox, nra-ila executive director, congratulated Clarke on behalf of the more than 5 million nra members.
“Sheriff Clarke’s outspoken commitment to the Second Amendment earned him the admiration of nra members and gun owners nationwide,” Cox said. “His dedication to freedom and the Constitution also earned him the wrath of gun control elitist Michael Bloomberg and his allies, who spent more than half a million dollars (more money than both candidates in this race combined) trying to defeat Sheriff Clarke.
“But in the end, Bloomberg’s money could not buy the hearts and minds of the voters.”
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