Carolyn Meadows, the new president of the National Rifle Association who harkens from Georgia, was dismissive of freshman Rep. Lucy McBath’s (D-GA) victory in her 2018 race, saying McBath only won due to her status as a “minority female.”
“There will be more than one person in the race, but we’ll get that seat back,” Meadows said of the sixth district seat, per the Marietta Daily Journal. “But it is wrong to say like McBath said, that the reason she won was because of her anti-gun stance. That didn’t have anything to do with it — it had to do with being a minority female. And the Democrats really turned out, and that’s the problem we have with conservatives — we don’t turn out as well.”
McBath’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The new congresswoman ran on a platform largely inspired by the shooting of her son, Jordan, who was slain by a man who felt he was playing music too loudly.
McBath’s district leans significantly Republican, and went for President Donald Trump in 2016. McBath inched ahead of her competitor, Republican Karen Handel (who has said she’ll run again), with 50.5 percent of the vote in 2018.
Meadows has taken the helm of the splintering organization amidst intensive turmoil, with her predecessor Oliver North abruptly stepping down after a well publicized fight with CEO Wayne LaPierre.