Former Democratic congresswoman Gabby Giffords is endorsing the re-election bids of Republicans U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois, citing their votes on gun control.
Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, made the endorsements in a Monday editorial on behalf of their organization, Americans for Responsible Solutions. Giffords was gravely wounded in a 2011 mass shooting in Arizona.
They cite votes by Toomey and Kirk in 2013 to expand background checks on sales at gun shows and online after the shooting rampage in Newtown, Connecticut.
They say Kirk and Toomey "broke from the gun lobby." Toomey's opponent, Democrat Katie McGinty, says Toomey has hardly strayed from the National Rifle Association's positions.
The battle for Kirk's and Toomey's seats could tip control of the Senate.
