18 of 26 losing incumbent House members endorsed by the National Rifle Association

For years, the media has claimed  that the National Rifle Association is an electoral powerhouse with a real ability to impact the outcomes of elections. The 2012 elections clearly demonstrate that the conventional wisdom is at odds with reality. While most incumbents in the House of Representatives kept their seats on November 6, over two-thirds of incumbents who lost were backed by the NRA. In a post on Media Matters for America, Timothy Johnson describes the fate of NRA backed candidates.