Michael Bloomberg has set his sights on Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake with a new ad featuring the family of a victim from last year’s shooting in Aurora, Colo., saying the Republican senator had promised them his support on expanding gun background checks.
The New York City mayor’s group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, is starting a television campaign Friday over Flake’s vote against the last month’s background check compromise from Sens. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. Flake’s fellow Arizona senator, Republican John McCain, supported the legislation.
The third ad from the group features an Arizona couple whose son Alex Teves, was killed in last summer’s movie theater shooting while shielding his fiancée.
Caren and Tom Teves, who voted for Flake in 2012, say Flake didn’t keep his promise to support tougher background checks.
“We wrote Sen. Flake, urging him to support background checks. Sen. Flake wrote ‘I am truly sorry for your deep loss. Strengthening background checks is something we agree on,’” says Caren Teves. “One month later, Sen. Flake voted against strengthening background checks. The issue isn’t just background checks—it’s keeping your promise—and Sen. Flake didn’t.” Flake has defended his vote, saying the Manchin-Toomey compromise was too broad, but that he supported a different, streamlined version. The latest ad from Bloomberg’s group is part of a six-figure buy that will run for two weeks on broadcast and cable in both the Phoenix and Tucson markets.
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