JT Lewis, Brother Of Sandy Hook Victim Announces Senate Run

NEWTOWN, CT — JT Lewis, a brother of Sandy Hook School shooting victim Jesse Lewis announced that he will run for state senate in the 28th district which includes Newtown, Easton and Fairfield and is currently occupied by Sen. Tony Hwang.

Jesse Lewis was hailed as a hero after he yelled for his classmates to run after the shooter’s gun jammed. Jesse along with 19 other children and six educators were killed during the mass shooting.

Lewis said he has spent the last year and a half building a school safety movement.

“In the months and then years following the loss of my brother we met with governors, senators, mayors and secretaries of education. We even met President Obama, the whole time hoping someone would stop the violence we so personally experienced," he said in his video announcement.

Lewis told Patch that he plans to challenge Hwang in the Republican primary. The next state senate election will take place in 2020.

Lewis has previously said that the gun control effort is noble, but it hasn’t helped keep schools safe.

He met with President Donald Trump when the Federal School Safety Report was released.

Among the reports recommendations are that schools consider added more armed guards and hiring staff with prior firearm experience. It also suggested adding more funding to enhance school security and physical infrastructure, according to Education Week.

“Both President Trump and President Obama treated me with the utmost respect and class. More importantly, they honored my brother’s memory,” he tweeted. “A lesson: Politics only divides us if we allow it to. We are all Americans”

Lewis helped organize Newtown Helps Rwanda, which raised more than $35,000 to help put two students through college and raised money to open poultry and fish farms in Uganda

Lewis’ mom Scarlett Lewis started the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement to honor her son’s memory. The organization advocates for giving all children access to social and emotional learning in classrooms.