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Rabbi Running For Congress Received Just One Vote

The rabbi who served in Newtown, Conn. during the deadly school shooting there in 2012 and is now running for Congress received just a single vote during the state’s Democratic convention on Monday.

“When I was called to the Sandy Hook firehouse to counsel the families whose children and loved ones were murdered, I answered the call; when I was called to advocate for sane gun laws in Hartford, I answered the call,” Rabbi Shaul Praver, who served at Congregation Adath Israel in Newtown from 2002 to 2015, said when he announced his candidacy.

Praver comforted mourning families and officiated a funeral in the days following the deadly shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which led to the deaths of 26 students and teachers. He also advocated for gun control laws.

Candidates who didn’t earn a place on the CT5 ballot at the convention but still want to run need to turn in petitions from at least 2 percent of the district’s registered party members. It’s unclear if Rabbi Praver will try to collect signatures to continue his campaign.

Praver would be the first rabbi elected to Congress.

Contact Haley Cohen at [email protected]

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