League of Conservation Voters

The Oscars of the Political World: LCV Scores a POLLIE!

With all the Academy Award buzz in the air, the League of Conservation Voters was pleased to discover that we had been awarded two POLLIEs - the Oscars of the political world.   

LCV won a Silver POLLIE award for our Pombo Mambo ad in the Independent Expenditure Campaign/Issue Advocacy/ 527: U.S. House Category.

We also picked up a Bronze POLLIE for the Dirty Dozen Oil Slick Seven campaign in the Membership Political Mail Category.  In addition, LCV also received an honorable mention for our Dirty Dozen logo.

The POLLIE Awards were created by the American Association of Political Consultants to recognize the best of the best in political advertising.  For the full list of POLLIE Award Winners, click here.

- Kristin Lee

Post-Election Survey Shows Energy Played Key Role Among Swing Voters in 2006 Midterms

A national post-election survey conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner for Democracy Corps and the Campaign for America’s Future and analyzed for the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) reveals the integral role of positive, energy-oriented messages in convincing swing voters to vote for sweeping change at the Congressional level.

Greenberg Quinlan Rosner’s analysis found that key voter groups took issue with the Republican leadership’s failure to address America’s energy problems and took those concerns with them into the voting booth on election day:

·    48 percent of swing voters who voted Democratic cited the failure of the Republican leadership to do anything about oil companies and gas prices as their top concern about Republicans – 20 points higher than any other issue.   

·    34 percent of Independents cited Republicans’ failure on oil companies and gas prices as their top concern about Republicans, exceeding any other issue.

·    48 percent of Hispanics cited oil companies and gas prices as their biggest doubts about Republicans this year.  Hispanics favored Democrats by 40 points this year.

·    47 percent of voters under thirty cited Republicans’ failure on energy and gas prices as their top worry about Republicans, 10 points higher than any other issue. 

·    Voters favored Democrats over Republicans by 23 points on which party has new ideas for addressing the country’s problems, a 20-point shift towards Democrats from January 2005.

This survey confirms factually what our people in the field felt viscerally on Election Day.  A positive, forward-looking message on energy played a critical role in helping Democrats convince voters that they offered new ideas. Lawmakers across America should heed this lesson and work to create a new energy economy with secure, good jobs.

The survey included a sample of 2,020 voters nationwide, 1,170 of them from the 50 most competitive swing districts held by Republicans before the election.

To view the Greenberg Quinlan Rosner survey memo, click here.  To view relevant charts, click here.

CNBC Power Lunch Discusses the Role of Energy in the 2006 Elections

LCV President Gene Karpinski was on CNBC's Power Lunch program to discuss the key role energy played in the elections -- and what that will mean for Congress.  Push play below to listen.

The Election and the Environment

Living on Earth had a great piece on the importance the environment played in the election.  In a majority of races in the country, candidates talked about clean energy and those who wanted real change proved to be winners on election night.  To listen to the audio of the show or read the transcript, click here.

LCV Statement on Midterm Results!

LCV President Gene Karpinski issued the following statement on the Midterm Results:

“Today the American public’s vision of a clean energy future that is very different from current policies is a big winner, and Big Oil is a big loser. The voters are usually way ahead of Washington and they proved it again in 2006.

LCV's signature Dirty Dozen program once again targeted anti-environment candidates in races in which we had a serious chance to affect the outcome. This year, we nominated 15 people for the Dirty Dozen. Two - Reps. Delay and Ney -- dropped out before November, and both their seats were lost. Of the thirteen Dirty Dozen members on the ballot yesterday, 9 likely lost, including three of the four races where we spent the most money this fall. Reps. Richard Pombo and Charlie Taylor have been defeated and Senator Conrad Burns is behind in the latest returns. All three played anti-environmental leadership roles.

Of LCV's Environmental Champions, 8 out of 9 won re-election. The public clearly voted for change - and one change at the top of their list was a different approach to solving our energy problems.

This year, clean energy and the creation of a new energy economy was the singular domestic issue that cut across partisan, geographic and demographic lines. American want less dependence on oil and more on American ingenuity and the American work ethic to create new clean energy products and jobs, while at the same time enhancing our national security.

Report from the Field: Colorado

Working in Colorado the last three days has been rewarding.  I work at the staging area in the North metro area.  Yesterday and today we had over 100 people going out knocking on doors and talking to voters.  We talk to voters with mail ballots in their possession.  We leave literature at targeted doors.  Yesterday we had 7,789 voter contacts and today we had over 8,600 contacts.  There are numerous centers such as this all over the state. 

Tomorrow we finish our pass through our 200 targeted precincts and get set up for the final election day push.  The days are long with opening the staging area at 6:30 in the morning and the first wave arriving at 7:30 am.  The last wave returns at 6 pm and we spend the next hour and a half reviewing the work, reporting to central headquarters, determining the priorities for the next day and then setting up everything to be ready to go tomorrow.

I always enjoy knocking on doors and this weekend is no exception.  I think by this time of the election voters are looking forward to election day as much as candidates.  Talking to voters is a good way of taking the pulse of the electorate.  Most people with absentee ballots have returned them.  Part of our conversation is to get mail ballots returned.  They have to be in by 7 pm election night, not just postmarked.

Just got some of the statewide mail and early voting numbers and wanted to share.  These include updated numbers from the big counties, but I’m sure some of the data is still missing.  In 2002 Republicans had 61,400 more absentee ballot requests than Democrats.  This year it’s 43,000.  In 2002 15.8% of D’s voted absentee.  This year it’s 26.5%-- an increase of 68%.  Independent absentee voting rates have doubled from 7.2 to 14.8%.  Republican absentee voting rates are 27.3%--a 41.5% increase from ’02 to ‘06.  When you add in early voting numbers 32.6% of D’s, 30.8% of R’s, and 18.7% of I’s have already voted.  (I don’t have historical numbers on early voting on hand.)

The Denver Election Commission had projected 50,000 absentee voters and 15,000 early voters.  According to today’s update 71,600 absentee ballots have been requested and 24,800 people voted early in Denver.   

Energy is THE Domestic Issue in the '06 Elections

There's no debate: energy has become the key domestic issue in the '06 elections other than Iraq. Voters realize that our energy future is tied to the environment, it's tied to the economy, it's tied to national security.

LCV is seeing candidates from across the country on both sides of the aisle are talking about energy. They're talking about renewable energy, they're talking about gas prices, they're talking about energy independence, they are talking about new jobs in a new economy from a new forward-looking energy policy and they're mentioning their opponents ties to Big Oil.

LVC has collected over 100 ads running across the country talking about energy and the environment. We invite you to view our "Energy and the Environment in 2006" play list by clicking here.

Clean Energy Policy: A Key Issue for Washington State U.S. Senate Race

A new energy policy continues to be on the top of candidate agendas this election cycle.

Washington NBC affiliate KNDO reported today that Senator Maria Cantwell placed a new clean energy policy as a top priority at a "Check list for Change" rally. She has made energy independence and investing in a clean energy future a key part of her campaign.

Senator Cantwell is touring the state speaking to voters in Spokane, Pullman, Pasco and Yakima focusing on energy independence in her final sprint to election day and is on the airwaves with a great new ad promoting clean energy solutions to our energy challenges. To view Senator Cantwell's ad, click here.

Senator Cantwell was named as a 2006 LCV "Environmental Champion" earlier this year for her stellar environmental record.

      - Amr Moubarak

Citizen-Times Endorses Shuler

The Asheville Citizen-Times has endorsed Heath Shuler in North Carolina's 11th District. The Times talked specifically about Shuler's environmental credentials and Taylor's spot on LCV's "Dirty Dozen" list:

"Shuler, a hunter and outdoorsman, places a strong emphasis on protecting the environment.

Taylor is on the bi-partisan League of Conservation Voters list of "Dirty Dozen" for his poor environmental voting record. The Humane Society of the United States is also targeting
Taylor for his poor voting record on animal issues.

Over the past few years, Western North Carolina, hard hit by the loss of manufacturing jobs, desperately needed a Congressman with the clout to secure federal funding to help rescue our economy.

To his credit, Taylor worked with the business community and with local colleges and universities on numerous projects to do that.

A Wall Street Journal story accuses Taylor of securing funding for some road projects that benefited him personally, and that may be true, but they benefited the region as well.

But the overriding issue in this election is the need for a change in direction for the nation.

Taylor represents more of the same. Shuler represents hope for something better."

     - To read the full editorial, click here.

Campaigns Update

As some of the earlier posts indicated, LCV has made a number of Congressional endorsements this cycle.  Before making endorsements, LCV staff often sits down with the candidate to have an introductory discussion about their background and environmental outlook.  We've met with many pro-environment candidates who are currently locked in highly competitive races.  Not long ago, many of these candidates were considered long shots in their races and now many of them are either the frontrunner or within striking distance.   

Gabrielle Giffords (AZ-08) has been ahead in the polls for several weeks now, with a lead ranging anywhere from 8 to 12 points in third party polls.  After a primary against a well-known TV anchorwoman, Giffords is in a strong position to win the open AZ-08 seat following Rep. Jim Kolbe's retirement.  When Giffords visited the LCV office, her list of accomplishments was so impressive -- it was hard to fathom someone could accomplish so much at such a young age.  Assuming everything continues down the current path, it looks like southern Arizona will have a real environmental champion in the House.

We also met with Admiral Joe Sestak (PA-07) early in his campaign.  Sestak faced an uphill battle early on against 10-term incumbent Rep. Curt Weldon.  He met with us alone, without any campaign staff, and was so smart and engaging you could tell he would put up a good fight.  He has since proven us right.  A third party poll had Sestak and Weldon in a dead heat in late September (before news about Rep. Weldon's alleged misconduct broke) and Sestak out-raised Weldon in the 3rd Quarter.  Sestak's strong campaigning, coupled with the national mood and Weldon's missteps, could send him to Congress next year.

To see all of LCV's endorsed candidates, check out our interactive map here.

          - Staci Soloway