Washington, D.C. – The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) Action Fund, which works to elect candidates who will support sound environmental policies, announced today its endorsement of MJ Hegar for Congress in Texas’s 31st District.

“LCV Action Fund is thrilled to endorse MJ Hegar for Congress,” said LCV Action Fund Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld. “As a veteran she understands the national security threat posed by climate change and as a mother she knows there is nothing more important than ensuring that our kids grow up breathing clean air and drinking clean water. She doesn’t back down from hard fights and she won’t be afraid to stand up to special interests to do what’s best for Texans.”

“I am honored to receive the endorsement of the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund,” said MJ Hegar. “I am running for Congress to fight for our children’s futures: to ensure they can breathe clear air, drink clean water, and lead healthy and fulfilling lives. The League of Conservation Voters fights every day to safeguard that future for every American and protect our most precious resources, and I look forward to continuing their advocacy.”

MJ Hegar grew up in Cedar Park, Texas and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. During college she was in the Air Force ROTC program and upon graduation was commissioned in the U.S. Air Force. She was selected for pilot training in 2004 and finished at the top of her class. She then served three deployments in Afghanistan where she flew Combat Search and Rescue and Medevac missions as a helicopter pilot. In 2009, on her third tour in Afghanistan, she was shot down by members of the Taliban, but still flew the rescue mission while wounded until they had an emergency landing. She was awarded the Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor, becoming only the second woman in U.S. military history to receive the medal after Amelia Earhart. In 2012, Hegar was the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit brought against Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta that resulted in the Defense Department repealing the Ground Combat Exclusion Policy, which excluded women from serving in combat positions. In Congress, Hegar will fight for clean air and water for all Texans and will invest in growing Texas’s clean energy economy.

About LCV Action Fund

The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) Action Fund, the connected federal political action committee (PAC) of the League of Conservation Voters, works to elect candidates who will implement sound environmental laws and policies, and defeat those who stand in the way of progress. Since the 1994 election cycle, LCVAF has helped elect and re-elect 74 U.S. senators and 331 members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Over the last several years, our efforts have also helped elevate climate change and clean energy as critical issues in key elections.

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Paid for by the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund and authorized by MJ for Texas.