HD 111: Jones, Cottonmouth NRA posts misleading
One of the state’s liberal blogs, CottonMouth, issued this ‘breaking’ alert today:
“***BREAKING*** Rep. Brandon Jones (D-Pascagoula) endorsed by NRA
“Rep. Brandon Jones (D-Pascagoula), has just been endorsed by the National Rifle Association in his race against local cable TV hunting show host Charles Busby. Jones also received an “A” rating from the NRA for his legislative efforts.”
Jones also tweeted this endorsement and rating from the NRA.
While the liberals and Jones’ campaign would like nothing more than to tout this endorsement in conservative HD 111, here are a few points to keep in mind after we spoke with the NRA directly:
* The NRA issues endorsements in primaries and general elections. Jones is the only Democrat in the HD 111 race. His opponent, Busby, will most likely receive a similar endorsement given his response to their questionnaire and since he’s the only Republican in the race.
* The NRA will issue a general election endorsement we’re told, meaning the endorsement they hand down after the primary will be more telling and most likely more accurate. That endorsement will be between Jones and Busby, not them individually in their primaries. The general election endorsement could come as early as September.
* CottonMouth notes that Busby is a “local cable TV hunting show host.” That is not accurate. Busby has had a local show in the past, but not currently. Busby has also taught hunting and archery classes in schools and in the community. It’s no wonder Jones and liberals supporting him would jump at the chance to promote this preliminary, primary endorsement.
We encourage you all to research the facts before always believing what you read. Most of the time, liberals only give you half of the story, as is the case again this time.
Looks like you are the one who doesn’t have the facts. I went to Cottonmouth and that letter from the NRA doesn’t say anything about it being a primary only endorsement. It says it is for the 2011 election cycle, and will be published before the General Election:
http://cottonmouthblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/nra-endorsement-letter-for-rep-brandon.html
We spoke with the NRA directly and clarified this issue because of that very question. This is for the primary only they told us; they will issue one for the general election we are told. While the Democrats and liberals would love that not to be the case, we are told it is indeed. We do our research prior to posting.
The letter is on NRA letterhead, and says it is a general election endorsement. It would be helpful if you could get something on NRA letterhead to back up what they’re telling you, Frank.
Now Majority in MS is saying that, if this isn’t the general election endorsement, the general election endorsement will still go to Jones. That letter definitely reads like a general election endorsement, though.
I don’t want to jump the gun here, but it sure sounds like y’all are the ones who got caught with your pants down on this one.
I called again this morning asking the following questions with these responses: 1) Q: Are the Mississippi legislative endorsements for the primary only at this point? A: Yes. 2) Q: Will the NRA issue general election endorsements after the primary? A: Yes, sometime after labor day. 3) Q: So the endorsements now may not be the endorsements after the primary? A: That’s right; they may change.
It can’t get more clear than that. Jones may still receive the endorsement in the general election mainly since he is the incumbent but nothing is a sure thing at this point.