NRA

The National Rifle Association was once the most feared lobby in American politics — an organization whose endorsement could make or break political careers and whose "A-to-F" rating system functioned as a pass/fail test for Republican candidates. Today, the NRA is in dramatic decline, its spending collapsing from $29 million in 2020 to $10 million in 2024, its leadership convicted of financial crimes, and its political influence eclipsed by the very gun control groups it once dominated. Wayne LaPierre, who led the NRA for over 30 years, was found liable in a New York civil trial for misusing tens of millions of NRA funds for personal luxury. The evidence revealed spending on custom Zegna suits (over $275,000 worth), luxury yacht trips, African safari vacations, and a $6.5 million contract for a mansion for his personal use. LaPierre's corruption was so extensive that it prompted the New York Attorney General to file a lawsuit seeking the NRA's dissolution, and a bankruptcy filing by the organization was rejected by a federal judge who found it was filed in bad faith. The Russian infiltration scandal compounded the NRA's problems. Maria Butina, a Russian national, was convicted in 2018 of acting as an unregistered foreign agent after infiltrating the NRA to build relationships with Republican politicians. Butina attended NRA conventions, developed relationships with NRA leaders, and facilitated connections between Russian officials and American political figures. The scandal raised questions about whether Russian money had flowed through the NRA to political campaigns — questions that have never been fully resolved because the NRA's nonprofit structure allows it to keep donor identities secret. Despite its organizational collapse, the NRA's brand still carries significant weight with Republican primary voters. The organization's A-to-F rating system remains influential in determining which candidates receive grassroots gun owner support. A candidate who loses the NRA endorsement in a Republican primary faces a meaningful disadvantage, even though the financial support behind that endorsement has dramatically diminished. The NRA's decline has been Michael Bloomberg's gain. Bloomberg's Everytown for Gun Safety and its associated super PAC now outspend the NRA in most competitive races, flipping the spending advantage in gun politics for the first time in decades. Moms Demand Action, Everytown's grassroots arm, has built a volunteer network that rivals the NRA's legendary mobilization capacity. The NRA's remaining $10 million in political spending is spread across hundreds of races, meaning its per-race impact has become negligible in all but the smallest contests. The NRA Political Victory Fund, the organization's PAC, is funded primarily by small-dollar donations from NRA members and contributions from gun manufacturers. The gun industry's financial support has become increasingly important as individual NRA members have reduced their giving amid the leadership scandals. The organization's annual convention still draws over 70,000 attendees and features speeches by Republican presidential candidates, but the gap between the NRA's cultural significance and its financial power has never been wider.