(JTA) — Rep. Ted Deutch, whose district includes Parkland, Florida, will back Mike Bloomberg in the Democratic presidential primary.
Deutch, who is Jewish, also will serve as co-chair of the United for Mike Leadership Council, which does outreach to Jewish voters.
His endorsement of the former New York City mayor and billionaire media mogul stems from their shared opposition to gun violence, according to USA Today. Bloomberg has poured tens of millions of dollars into gun control activism through a nonprofit he founded, Everytown for Gun Safety, and has made it one of his presidential campaign’s signature issues.
Deutch has likewise been a longtime proponent of gun control measures, and has spoken out on the issue repeatedly since the high school shooting in Parkland almost exactly two years ago. Wednesday, he and two colleagues introduced a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would require gun owners to report within 48 hours if their guns are lost or stolen.
“While states across the country have taken steps to strengthen gun laws, America continues to fall victim to gun violence,” Deutch said in a statement, according to USA Today. “We need to take immediate action before another mass tragedy unfolds, and tomorrow is too late to start. Mike Bloomberg will make gun safety a national priority and he has a plan that could actually prevent these atrocities from happening.”
