Press Releases

LCV Action Fund Endorses Candidates from Two Virginia Districts for Election to U.S. Congress

Mar 30, 2016

WASHINGTON, DC—The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) Action Fund, which works to elect candidates who will implement sound environmental policies, announced its endorsement of two candidates from Virginia who are running for election to the U.S. House of Representatives: State Senator A. Donald McEachin (VA-4) and LuAnn Bennett (VA-10).  

“With State Senator Donald McEachin and LuAnn Bennett in Congress, we would gain two exciting new allies for clean energy and action on climate change,” said LCV Action Fund President Gene Karpinski.  “Both Donald McEachin and LuAnn Bennett have shown a compelling commitment to protecting our environment and all of Virginia’s communities, and if elected to Congress, this dedication will surely benefit our entire country.”      

“State Senator Donald McEachin and LuAnn Bennett are candidates who, for many years, have put immense effort into enhancing and protecting the natural resources Virginia’s communities rely on—these are two voices that would serve Virginia well in the U.S. Congress,” said Virginia League of Conservation Voters Executive Director Michael Town. “State Senator Donald McEachin has been a clean energy leader in the state legislature, and LuAnn Bennett has led sustainability efforts in the private sector. We know Virginia’s clean air, clean water and cherished natural landscapes will be in good hands with State Senator Donald McEachin and LuAnn Bennett.”    

“Protecting our environment is good and important policy and a moral imperative,” said McEachin. “Our children and grandchildren deserve to inherit a clean, healthy, sustainable Earth. As a state senator, I have worked to address and mitigate climate change while also striving to reduce and eliminate pollution and preserve open space. I am deeply honored and humbled by LCV Action Fund’s endorsement and support. Together, we’ll keep fighting for lower carbon emissions, a cleaner Chesapeake Bay, and countless other priorities.

“I want voters in Virginia’s 10th district to know that when it comes to the environment and conservation issues, I am on their side,” said Bennett. “I will take the same innovation approach that I have in business, and continue to show that we don’t have to choose between protecting our environment, investing in clean energy and our economy. The current leadership in the House of Representatives has all but ignored the issue of climate change and many of the pressing environmental issues of our day, and I promise to go to Washington to stand up for our environment and grow the clean energy economy.”

McEachin’s record in the Virginia legislature routinely earns him 100% annual scores on the Virginia League of Conservation Voters’ Conservation Scorecard, which has named him a Legislative Hero in six of the last seven years. The State Senate Democratic Caucus Chair, he co-founded the bipartisan Virginia Environment and Renewable Energy Caucus, which focuses on advancing green policies in the state legislature.  He also sought to enroll Virginia in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and to create a mandatory statewide renewable energy standard (RES).  As a Master of Divinity, McEachin’s stewardship for the Earth is informed by his religious faith, and he is committed to fighting for communities that suffer disproportionately from environmental injustices.

Bennett has strong experience working on sustainability in both the private and public sectors. In 2006, under Bennett’s leadership, her real estate firm decided to emphasize sustainable construction.  Furthermore, Bennett served on Virginia’s Climate Change Commission as an appointee of then-Governor Tim Kaine, and she currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Institute for Sustainable Communities, founded by former Vermont Governor Madeleine Kunin.      

McEachin and Bennett are featured on LCV Action Fund’s GiveGreen website, the only bundling website devoted exclusively to raising money for environmental champions for federal office. 

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Paid for by the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund and authorized by McEachin for Congress and LuAnn Bennett for Congress.