QUOTES OF THE WEEK:

“When lots of candidates in widely different political environments are all running on a platform of 100 percent renewable energy, it means that voters are telling them they want leaders who will help solve the climate crisis.”

• Former Vice President Al Gore speaking to Politico about how candidates across the country are running on clean energy.

“I’d be a governor who believes in science.”

• Candidate for Florida Governor Andrew Gillum tells Florida voters he will act on climate during a debate televised on CNN last Sunday.

LCV IN THE NEWS:

New York Times: Three Campaign Ads That Are Putting Climate Change on the Agenda

Los Angeles Times: As climate change becomes more visible, its weight as a campaign issue is growing

Politico Pro: Democratic candidates try new tack on climate change

The Hill: Environmental groups shift strategies to win support for candidates in midterms

Huffington Post: With Key Senate Races Mired In Pollution Issues, Republican Strategists Shrug

Politico: Democrats go all-in on clean energy

InsideClimateNews: A Record Number of Scientists Are Running for Congress, and They Get Climate Change

The News & Observer: Budd, Manning clash over campaign accusations in debate for closely watched House race

Seattle Times: National environmental group buys $1 million in ads against Dino Rossi

The Florida Times-Union: Mark Woods: They’re all talking about environment now. But what about Nov. 7?

Tampa Bay Times: TV ad wars intensify in Rick Scott-Bill Nelson Senate race

Chicago Tribune: Chemical industry bought TV ads to thank Rep. Peter Roskam just before Sterigenics became hot issue

OUTSIDE THE BELTWAY:

LCV’s state affiliates are hard at work protecting the environment and fighting climate change in the states. Here’s what people are reading across the country:

Willamette Week (OR): Oregon Environmental Group Putting Record Resources into Governor’s Race

News & Advance (VA): Virginia authorizes construction on Atlantic Coast Pipeline, final U.S. approval pending

Oregon Public Broadcasting (OR): Oregon Gov. Brown Plans Order To Block Drilling Off Coast

Charlotte Business Journal (NC): Construction of Duke Energy-backed Atlantic Coast Pipeline receives approval from final state

Washington Monthly (FL): The Senate Race That Climate Change Could Tip

Gainesville Sun (FL): Editorial: Record shows DeSantis is no conservationist

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11 DAYS UNTIL THE MIDTERMS: Throughout this midterm election cycle, we’ve seen important environmental issues rise to the top of voters’ and candidates’ priorities. It’s a leading issue in key states and was notably the very first question in the nationally televised gubernatorial debate this week in Florida.

RUNNING ON CLEAN ENERGY: Candidates across the country — in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Oregon, Michigan, and North Dakota — are all running on moving their states to 100 percent clean energy. In fact, earlier this fall, LCV Action Fund announced that over 1,400 candidates nationwide supported our “Clean Energy for All” candidate commitment to move their states to 100 percent clean energy by 2050.

HITTING THE AIRWAVES: As part of our biggest-ever investment in the 2018 midterm elections, LCV Victory Fund launched several ad campaigns this week in races where candidates and elected officials are siding with corporate polluters over the environment and their constituents. These ads are shaping campaigns across the country. Some of our latest include:

HITS: LCV Victory Fund launched a $1 million ad buy against Washington congressional candidate Dino Rossi. During Rossi’s disastrous two decades in politics, he voted against environmental protections to support corporate polluters. The ad, “Hits,” is our biggest single ad buy in a House race this year.

HALF: LCV Victory Fund also launched a $710,000 TV ad exposing Representative Claudia Tenney’s (NY-22) vote to gut protections for people with pre-existing health conditions, including asthma and diabetes. Tenney has earned a 6 percent lifetime score from LCV for consistently siding with the corporate PACs that have given her over half a million dollars. Tenney was also named to the Dirty Dozen and called out by former Republican congressman — and LCV board vice-chair — Sherwood Boehlert for her “disappointing” conservation record.

TRUST: In New Mexico’s 2nd congressional district, LCV Victory Fund, EDF Action, and the Latino Victory Fund announced a $600,000 TV ad targeting congressional candidate Yvette Herrell. The ad, titled “Trust,” highlights how Herrell used her state office and resources to fuel her political ambitions over her constituents’ interests, while hiding almost half a million dollars in public contracts with her company from her constituents at the same time. This year, Herrell earned a zero percent rating from Conservation Voters New Mexico and a spot on LCV Victory Fund’s Dirty Dozen list.

REVEALED: Folks residing in Representative Scott Taylor’s district (VA-02) will learn about Taylor’s record of siding with corporate polluters rather than people’s health. LCV Victory Fund launched a $300,000 television ad this week called “Revealed,” which exposes “out and out fraud” by Taylor’s campaign staff.

IT GETS WORSE: In Michigan, LCV Victory Fund launched a $355,000 TV ad which exposes Representative Mike Bishop’s (MI-08) cozy relationship with corporate lobbyists who want to dump coal into streams. Watch “It Gets Worse.”

MARCHING ORDERS: California voters will see how Representative Mimi Walters (CA-45) follows marching orders from Trump on offshore drilling in a new $200,000 digital ad buy from LCV Victory Fund.

BATTERED: As Florida Senate candidate Rick Scott stays silent on Florida’s red tide crisis and climate change, LCV Victory Fund and EDF Action launched a $2.25 million television ad in Fort Myers, Tampa and West Palm this week. The ad highlights how Scott received over a million in contributions from polluting companies and, in return, dismantled vital environmental safeguards, a move that hurt businesses and vulnerable wildlife. Scott was the first candidate named in LCV Victory Fund’s Dirty Dozen list. Watch the ad, “Battered.”

GREENWASHING: Anti-environmental candidates are doubling down on their attempts to “greenwash” their toxic records and pretend they are the pro-environmental candidates voters really want. Some, like Rick Scott, are seizing on clean water as their “issue” du jour. Scott’s record shows that he has consistently sided with polluters and cut funding to clean up Florida’s waters. Others, like Ron DeSantis – the Republican running to replace Scott as Florida Governor – have also been called out for being imposters. DeSantis was dubbed an “election year environmentalist.”

MORE GREENWASHING: And others have claimed that being a part of the Climate Solutions Caucus means that they are pro-environment, when their voting records tell a different story. From Utah’s Mia Love to Minnesota’s Erik Paulsen, this just isn’t enough.

OUR TAKE: Pete Maysmith, LCV Victory Fund’s SVP for Campaigns put all this greenwashing into perspective. He said: “Their voting records don’t match where the voters are, and so they are working to cloak themselves, or wrap themselves, in a green flag.”

GASLIGHTING SCIENCE: Finally admitting that climate change is real has become some anti-climate science candidates’ meager attempt at greenwashing. However, they’ve only shifted their strategy to questioning whether or not climate change is human-made, which is their effort to shirk responsibility for addressing the climate crisis. While they still doubt, the scientific consensus is clear: multiple studies show that 97 percent or more of climate scientists agree that climate change is a result of human activity.

DOUBLED UP: On Monday, Politico Playbook broke the news that GiveGreen — which connects donors to pro-environment candidates — had raised over $18 million for the 2018 cycle – double the amount raised in all of 2016. At the end of the week, we’re now nearly at $20.5 million (!!!). The success of GiveGreen demonstrates how communities of people can act as a counterforce to special interests and big polluters.

WHEELER NO DEAL: Acting EPA Administrator and former coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler received praise from Trump this week saying “he’s doing well.” Trump added that Wheeler, a polluter ally who is undermining safeguards for our clean water and air, may be ready for the nomination process. In just the last few weeks, it was discovered that Wheeler posted on social media racist, false, and conspiratorial posts. He has also used his time at the EPA to dissolve the Office of Science Advisor, further diminishing the role of science in EPA’s decision making. Wheeler is just as pro-polluter as Scott Pruitt was, and he is unqualified to be the director of the EPA.

THANKS, OBAMA: On Monday, even Trump was attempting to “greenwash” his record on climate when he tweeted out a map of the world air quality from 2016, the final year of Barack Obama’s presidency. Trump falsely claimed that America has the “cleanest air in the world – BY FAR.” Trump’s tweet fell short in several ways. First, the report is from two years ago and thus doesn’t necessarily reflect the air quality under the his administration, especially since he has rolled back numerous safeguards against pollution. Additionally, while the overall air quality of the U.S. is ranked at number nine by the World Health Organization, there are areas of the country where air quality is still a huge concern. Bottomline: Trump is the greenwasher-in-chief.

COMING UP:

NOVEMBER 6 — Election Day!

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Paid for by LCV Victory Fund, www.lcvvictoryfund.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.