Welcome to From the Politics Desk, a daily newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.In today’s edition, Frank Thorp V and Ryan Nobles speak with Democratic candidates who are touting their gun credentials.Plus, Andrea Mitchell digs into President Donald Trump’s potential next moves on Iran.
— Adam WollnerMeet the Democrats trying to flip the script on gun rightsBy Frank Thorp V and Ryan NoblesA group of Democratic candidates on the ballot next week are hoping to start a new conversation around guns as part of a strategy to win back rural voters in red-leaning areas.Wisconsin’s 1st District: Democrat Mitchell Berman’s ads have portrayed him as a proud gun owner and hunter.
One shows him fishing while wearing a handgun in a holster; another shows him skeet-shooting with clay pigeons labeled “Data Centers.” After the target explodes in the air, his 6-year-old daughter yells, “Great shot, Dad!”“That’s who I am,” Berman told NBC News.“When I go fishing up north — where I’m from we have wolves.
We have — in spring trout season, we have bears that are coming out of their dens with cubs.We’ve even had a mountain lion on our trail camera.
So, you know, when I go out into the woods, I carry a sidearm with me for protection.”His race against GOP Rep.Bryan Steil was not expected to be close.
President Donald Trump carried the district in 2020 and 2024, and Steil won re-election two years ago by 10 points.But polling has shown the race is within reach for Democrats.Texas’ 15th District: Bobby Pulido, a Tejano singer turned Democratic congressional candidate, is not shy about his love for guns and hunting.
He’s posted videos of him shooting a target a mile away, and his rec room is lined with the trophies he’s gathered on hunts.He even named his oldest son Remington.
“Listen, in the rural areas, firearms are a way of life,” ...