President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden endorsed former Democratic Ohio Governor Ted Strickland for Senate ahead of the state’s March 15 primary, despite previously vowing to never endorse a candidate who doesn’t support “common sense gun control.”
“Ohioans have no greater friend than Ted Strickland,” Obama said in a Wednesday statement. “Ted is a passionate and proven champion for the middle class, and when Ohio sends him to the United States Senate, he will continue to be a tireless fighter for hardworking families.”
Unfortunately, that would appear to conflict with his January 7 statement, in which he promised to never “campaign for, vote for or support any candidate, even in my own party, who does not support common-sense gun reform.” (RELATED: Obama’s Dream For Gun Control Will Take Away More Than Your Gun)
According to the Washington Examiner, Gov. Strickland struck down an assault weapons ban in Ohio and was a strong opponent of the Brady Bill, which “ushered in federal background checks for gun sales.”
He formerly held an A+ NRA rating and was even called “an unwavering defender of our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.”
Strickland additionally received the NRA’s official gubernatorial endorsement during both the 2006 and 2010 Ohio elections.