Elections

Bloomberg throws support behind Scott Brown

Stephen Elliott Contributor
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New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has thrown his weight behind Massachusetts Republican Sen. Scott Brown in his re-election bid against Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren.

Bloomberg, an independent, will host a fundraiser for Brown at his townhouse on the Upper East Side of New York in August, according to the Boston Globe.

The billionaire New York mayor’s main reason for supporting Brown was his opposition to the NRA-backed National Right-To-Carry Reciprocity Act. The bill would allow people with concealed carry licenses to carry their guns across state lines.

Recently, Bloomberg has been in the news after calling for stricter gun control laws in the wake of the Colorado theater shooting.

The NRA financially supported Brown in his successful 2010 Senate race, and the Gun Owners Action League gave Brown an A+ rating when he was a state senator, but Brown decided to oppose the Reciprocity Act under pressure from Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, another gun control advocate.

Warren may hold more severe gun control positions than Brown, but Bloomberg decided to support Brown because he had made the tough vote, going against party lines to oppose more liberal gun laws.

The endorsement from Bloomberg comes in light of Brown’s criticisms of Warren’s out of state fundraising. In response to the endorsement, Warren said, “Today, Scott Brown stands with Wall Street.”

Brown campaign spokesman Colin Reed said “Mayor Bloomberg is a true independent always puts progress over politics. That’s Scott Brown’s philosophy as well.”

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