Spencer Abraham (R)	49%
Debbie Stabenow (D)	50%

Race Recap:

Michigan voters who care deeply about the quality of their air and water, had a clear choice in the Senate race between Spencer Abraham (R) and Debbie Stabenow (D).  With a lifetime LCV environmental rating of 5 percent ù a score of zero in 2000, alone ù Abraham had the worst environmental record in Michigan and the worst of any senator in the Great Lakes region.  In contrast, his opponent, Senator-elect Debbie Stabenow has earned an impressive LCV environmental rating of 85 percent for her votes on key environmental legislation before the House in 2000.

Key Polling Results:

LCVÆs aggressive, hard-hitting campaign successfully reminded voters of the importance of clean air and water and AbrahamÆs poor record in protecting them.  Working with Greenberg Quinlan Research Inc., LCV polled likely Michigan voters from July 5-10 and again from Nov. 5-6 to evaluate the salience of environmental arguments and their impact on voting decisions.  Key findings include:

• Michiganders rank clean air and clean water among their top political concerns.  Eighty-five percent of respondents in November said clean air and clean water were important factors in their voting decisions. Nearly a third of those surveyed in July said clean air and water are very important.
  
• At the outset of the July poll, voters favored Abraham over Stabenow, 43 percent to 41 percent.  However, after learning more about AbrahamÆs anti-environment record, voters turned against him, favoring Stabenow 50 percent to 36 percent.
  
• AbrahamÆs vote to limit the publicÆs right to know about toxics that threaten MichiganÆs drinking water, coupled with his acceptance of over half-a-million dollars from polluting companies was the second biggest reason likely voters surveyed in November said they would vote against Abraham.  His repeated votes against strong clean water laws and against funding to clean up the Great Lakes ranked third.

Dirty Dozen Campaign Activities:

The LCV Action Fund named Abraham to its Dirty Dozen list of anti-environment candidates on June 21, 2000. Since then, LCVAF spent $705,000 to inform Michigan voters that when it came to fighting for clean air and water, protecting the Great Lakes and cleaning up communities threatened by pollution, Abraham was not on their side. 

LCV hired a full-time campaign manager early in the season to develop and implement its earned media and grassroots effort.  In addition to an aggressive ôLetter to the Editorö effort, volunteer phone banking and door-to-door canvassing, the campaign organized the ôClean Water Warriors,ö a pseudo-football team comprised of community volunteers and students that distributed literature exposing AbrahamÆs anti-environment record at high school football games in Lansing and Flint.  All told, LCV made over 10,000 ôGet Out the Voteö (GOTV) contacts.

In October, LCV launched a television ad campaign aimed at exposing AbrahamÆs record of voting to roll back environmental health and safety laws.  Specifically, the ads targeted AbrahamÆs votes against tougher drinking water standards and against increased funding for the clean up of toxic waste sites.   The ads aired on all major broadcast networks in the Flint and Lansing areas for a total of 3,850 gross rating points.