Biden Campaign Press Release - Biden for President Announces Launch of Sportsmen and Sportswomen for Biden

Today, as millions of Americans begin their annual ritual of fall hunting, Biden for President announced the launch of Sportsmen and Sportswomen for Biden -- a coalition of more than 50 prominent hunters and anglers from across the country, who have come together to endorse Joe Biden for President of the United States.

Sportsmen and Sportswomen for Biden's leadership committee includes people who currently or formerly served in leadership positions within some of our nation's most prominent conservation and outdoor advocacy groups. Several members have held prominent positions overseeing hunting, fishing, and wildlife at the state and national levels. The group's leadership committee also includes sitting members of the United States Senate and Members of Congress, a spate of prominent former elected officials, and a number of current state and local elected officials, including several statewide officeholders.

This bipartisan group of hunters and anglers have come together because they know that Joe Biden shares their values, will protect our ability to hunt and fish, and because they know that Trump's presidency has been a disaster to everyone who treasures the outdoors. Over the next nine weeks, they have committed to reach out to other sportsmen and sportswomen across the country, and to organize state chapters in all of the most closely contested states.

"President Trump has failed Michigan sportsmen and women by repeatedly trying to slash the budget for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative," said Bill Rustem, who served as Policy Director under two Republican Governors of Michigan, and was recently awarded the Milliken Lifetime Achievement Award by the Michigan Environmental Council. "Michigan has some of the best hunting and fishing in the world, but without investing in conservation we stand to lose it. Joe Biden will ensure that we can protect the outdoor recreation goose that lays our golden eggs."

"After nearly four years of Donald Trump gutting important wildlife habitat conservation initiatives, we need a new president who will stand up for America's hunters and anglers," said Scott Hassett, former Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. "Joe Biden is a gun owner and conservationist. He gets how important these traditions are to millions of Americans and will protect the Second Amendment rights of every responsible hunter."

"President Trump has failed Ohio sportsmen and sportswomen by allowing our waters to become more polluted and our native wildlife face greater threats from invasive species and disease, said Sean Logan, former Director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. "That's why we need Joe Biden, who will create millions of good jobs restoring habitat and recreational infrastructure that are essential for hunting, and fishing and growing Ohio's tourism-based economy."

"Hunting and fishing in New Mexico are vital to the health of our economy, as well as a way of life for many of our citizens who depend on harvesting an animal or catching their limit to feed their family," said Roberta Salazar-Henry, Vice-Chair of the New Mexico State Game Commission. "I am voting for Joe Biden because he gets it. Our wildlife can't take four more years of Trump."

Hunting and fishing are not only important traditions for millions of passionate American sportsmen and sportswomen, they are key parts of the nation's outdoor recreation industry, which accounts for $887 billion in economic activity and nearly eight million jobs.

Joe Biden has fought to support hunters and anglers. In 2010, the Obama-Biden Administration created the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) which has allocated $300 million every year to help solve some of the greatest challenges facing the Great Lakes. GLRI is a multi-agency effort that works to protect and restore the Great Lakes by keeping fish safe to eat, preventing invasive species, protecting water sources, and protecting native habitat. These efforts are key to maintaining Michigan tourism, hunting, and angling. Donald Trump has repeatedly tried to eliminate the program, including an attempted 2018 budget maneuver that zeroed out the program.

Joe Biden has committed to key principles that will ensure a strong future for hunting and fishing in America:

• Protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans to purchase and responsibly use firearms for hunting and sporting.
• Conserve America's natural resources, including its public lands.
• Increase opportunities for hunting, fishing, and other forms of outdoor recreation.

The full National Steering Committee Members list is below*:

Co-Chairs
Eric Washburn, Founding CEO, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Colorado
Ambassador Theodore "Tod" Sedgwick, Board Member, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Kentucky

Former Government Officials
Ken Salazar, Former United States Senator and Secretary of the Interior, Colorado
Sean Logan, Former Director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Former Ohio State Representative, Ohio
Scott Hassett, Former Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Wisconsin
Bill Rustem, Former Policy Director to Michigan Governors Snyder and Milliken, Michigan
Keith Creagh, Former Michigan Director of the Department of Natural Resources, Michigan
Gaspar Perricone, Former Chair of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission, Colorado
Jim Pribyl, Former Chair of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission, Colorado
Joanna Prukop, Former Chair of the New Mexico State Game Commission, New Mexico
Roberta Salazar-Henry, Vice Chair of the New Mexico State Game Commission, New Mexico
Robert Bonnie, Former USDA Under Secretary for Environment and Natural Resources, Virginia

Conservation and Outdoor Group Leaders
Collin O'Mara, CEO, National Wildlife Federation Action Fund, & Former Delaware Secretary of Natural Resources, Wilmington, Delaware
Jamie Williams, President, The Wilderness Society, Washington, DC
George Cooper, Past President and CEO, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Washington, DC
Ryan Busse, Former Board Chair, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Kalispell, Montana
Lucas St. Clair, CEO, Elliotsville Foundation, National Board Member Trust for Public Land, Falmouth, ME
Liz Storer, Board Member, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Wyoming
Sara Tucker, Former Director of Governmental Affairs, Trout Unlimited, Washington, D.C.
Ray Schoenke, Founder of the American Hunters and Shooters Association, Maryland
Lukas Leaf, Executive Director, Sportsmen for Boundary Waters, Minnesota
Garrett VeneKlasen, Former Executive Director, New Mexico Wildlife Federation, New Mexico

Current and Former Elected Officials:
Former Governor of Michigan Jim Blanchard, Michigan
Senator Martin Heinrich, New Mexico
Senator Doug Jones, Alabama
Senator Tim Kaine, Virginia
Senator Debbie Stabenow, Michigan
Senator Jon Tester, Montana
Former Senator Heidi Heitkamp, North Dakota
Former Senator Mark Pryor, Arkansas
Former Senator Blanche Lambert Lincoln, Arkansas
Congressman Filemon Vela, Texas
Congressman Collin Peterson, Minnesota
Congressman Bennie Thompson, Mississippi
Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy, Florida
Congressman Don Beyer, Virginia
Congressman Mike Thompson, California
Congressman Marc Veasey, Texas
Congressman Tim Ryan, Ohio
Former Congressman Bart Stupak, Michigan
Former Congressman Allen Boyd, Florida
Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand, Iowa
Iowa State Representative Ras Smith, Iowa
Nevada State Senator Yvanna Cancela, Las Vegas Nevada
Kentucky State Representative Charles Booker, Kentucky
Franklin County Recorder Danny O'Connor, Columbus, Ohio
Ohio State Senator Sean O'Brien, Ohio
New Mexico State Representative Angelica Rubio, New Mexico
Former Mayor of Menominee, MI Laurie Stupak
Former Michigan Lieutenant Governor John Cherry, Michigan
Former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, Madison, Wisconsin
Former Ohio State Representative and Former Republican Nominee for Ohio Attorney General Rocky Saxbe
2018 Democratic Nominee for Ohio Attorney General Steve Dettlebach
Former Maryland Delegate, Mark Shriver, Maryland

Additional Steering Committee Members
A.J. DeRosa, Founder, Northwoods Collective, New Hampshire
Johnny LeCoq, CEO of Fishpond, Colorado
Laura Davis, Former Chief of Staff at the Department of the Interior, Virginia
Tracy Stone-Manning, Former Chief of Staff to Montana Governor Steve Bullock, Montana
Joe Britton, Former Chief of Staff to Senator Martin Heinrich, Nebraska
Michael Washburn, Arizona
Barrett Kaiser, Montana
Rev. Andrew Black, New Mexico
Jen Black, New Mexico
Jeremy Romero, New Mexico
Gary Skiba, New Mexico
Angel Pena, New Mexico
Chip Hagan, North Carolina
Tim Purdon, North Dakota
Mike Eggl, North Dakota
Oliver Young, Ohio
Ed Zygmunt, Pennsylvania
Matt Strickler, Virginia
William Neal, Wyoming
Andrew Wilkins, Washington, DC
Brian Williamson, Washington, D.C.

* All titles and affiliations are for identification purposes only and are not intended to convey the support of the organization. Our steering committee members are all serving in a volunteer capacity as individuals.