Filmmaker Offers Free Campaign Ads for Gun Safety Candidates
*By Christian Smith*
North Carolina may be gun safety advocates' best bet for making legislative inroads this November, said Sarah Ullman, filmmaker and founder of One Vote at a Time, a PAC that creates free campaign ads for pro-gun safety candidates.
"I think North Carolina is really interesting right now," Ullman said Monday in an interview on Cheddar. "People smell an opportunity to make huge, huge gains for Democrats."
North Carolina, a state with a strong firearms culture and deep ties to the NRA, might seem an unlikely place for gun safety advocates.
But thanks to a recent Supreme Court ruling requiring the state to redistrict in an effort to curb gerrymandering, Ullman believes Democrats can make real progress.
Republicans in North Carolina currently hold a supermajority in both the state's House and Senate, which means both bodies can box Democrats out of policy decisions. Ullman hopes that through her team's work, Democrats can win back enough seats and end the GOP's stronghold on the state legislature.
This year, One Vote at a Time will work with 190 candidates across 10 states, she said. To make the cut, a candidate must stand a chance of winning and also be pro-gun safety ー the definition of which the PAC determines on a state-by-state basis.
"What it means to be pro-gun safety is very different in Texas versus North Carolina," Ullman said. "We have a political adviser, we talk to different political people in the state to make an assessment on which candidates are the best for us."
The cost of ads varies, since different states have vastly different rules about the amount of money a PAC can contribute to a campaign. To limit costs, One Vote at a Time executes many simultaneous ad shoots for candidates in a single day, so the organization can distribute the cost across several campaigns.
The ads run online and, if the candidate's campaign can afford it, on local broadcast networks.
One Vote at a Time has raised just over a $1 million this year.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/from-films-to-filings-why-one-director-decided-to-make-her-own-super-pac).
Liana Guzmán, CEO of FOLX Health, joins Cheddar News to discuss the company launching billboards across the country in response to anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.
President Biden has announced an additional $800 million in military assistance to Ukraine, including artillery, armored personnel carriers, and helicopters. It comes as Russian forces appear to be preparing for a new, aggressive offensive in the eastern part of Ukraine. Paul McLeary, defense reporter for Politico, joined Cheddar to discuss this new round of aid and what it means for the U.S. commitment to arming the embattled country.
Catching you up on what you need to know on April 18, 2022, with Russian missile attacks on the Ukrainian city of Lviv killing seven, mass shootings in South Carolina and Pittsburgh, Lucky Charms cereal under official investigation by the FDA, and more.
Activism is growing around the country in response to school boards banning books from shelves that focus on sexuality, gender, identity, or race. Jen Cousins, co-founder of The Florida Freedom to Read Project, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine intensifies, President Biden has announced a ban on importing Russian oil, gas, and energy. To discuss how this ban will impact the war and Americans, Amir Handjani, non-resident fellow at Quincy Institute, joins Cheddar News.
Thousands of protesters around the world are expressing their solidarity with Ukraine against Russia's invasion.
Jason Beardsley, national executive director of the Association of the U.S. Navy and national security expert, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
As gas prices surge amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, other nations could potentially transition faster to using clean energy than previously expected. Philip K. Verleger, a senior fellow at the Niskanen Center, joined Cheddar News to explain how this could be a possibility in the near future. "Part of the reason I think we have this invasion and the tantrum that's being thrown by Russia, terrible tantrum, is because the Russians were trying to slow down the transition," he said. "Ironically they speeded it up."
Following the invasion of Ukraine, a multitude of Western companies have paused doing business with Russia. PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, McDonald's, and Starbucks are the most recent companies to temporarily cease operations in Russia. Dean of Miami Herbert Business School at the University of Miami, John Quelch, joined Cheddar News to discuss what message this sends to Russia and the Russian consumer. “I would not underestimate the collective strength of all of these multinational companies, essentially coming together to make their collective statement in support of the political statements that have come out of Washington," he said.
The war in Ukraine continues to reveal heartbreaking gut-wrenching stories. The war in itself is not only devastating but also expensive. Experts estimate that Russia is draining nearly $20 million dollars each day to continue occupying and invading Ukraine. All this could force the country to turn to cryptocurrencies. It's a major turn for the country that briefly considered outlined digital assets entirely, but it could also have serious implications for cryptos. Managing Director at Quantum Fintech Group, Harry Yeh, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
