U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey's rating from the National Rifle Association has dropped after the Pennsylvania Republican went against gun-rights groups and voted to support expanded background checks.
Toomey's new C-rating is a downgrade from the A-rating and hearty endorsement the NRA gave him when he last ran in 2010.
Toomey is being challenged by Democrat Katie McGinty, who favors a broad range of gun-control measures and has drawn an F-rating from the NRA. The neck-and-neck race could help decide control of the Senate.
An NRA spokeswoman says Toomey's rating is based on his voting record.
Toomey's vote to require background checks for online gun sales and purchases at gun shows earned him the endorsement of two prominent gun-control activists, billionaire Michael Bloomberg and former Democratic Congresswoman Gabby Giffords.
