Washington, D.C. — LCV Victory Fund today announced that Montana Senator Steve Daines, Colorado Senator Cory Gardner, Michigan Senate candidate John James, Arizona Senator Martha McSally, and North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis would join President Donald Trump on the organization’s signature 2020 Dirty Dozen list of some of the worst anti-environmental candidates running for office this year.

The four incumbent Senators, Daines, Gardner, McSally, and Tillis, have an abysmal combined average lifetime LCV score of 8%. All four have supported policies, including Trump’s repeal of the Clean Power Plan, that put more pollution in the air and make it harder to breathe — and studies have found that increased pollution levels lead to higher COVID-19 death rates. While Michigan businessperson John James has no experience in elected office, he is “all for” the Trump agenda and even suggested that rolling back regulations would help Flint residents suffering from lead-contaminated water.

“We’re naming these five Trump evangelists to the Dirty Dozen early because they’ve put the health and safety of our communities, especially communities of color, at extreme risk. We simply cannot afford another six years of this,” said Pete Maysmith, LCV Victory Fund Senior Vice President of Campaigns. “Make no mistake — no matter what they say and do to earn last minute votes, Daines, Gardner, James, McSally, and Tillis have dangerous anti-environmental records and will ultimately side with corporate polluters over our families’ well-being.”

More information on these five new members of the 2020 Dirty Dozen:

Sen. Steve Daines (MT): 2020 Dirty Dozen

Steve Daines is a climate denier with a lifetime LCV score of just 6%. He’s taken almost $1.4 million in campaign contributions from corporate polluters and real estate developers who want access to Montana’s public lands. At the same time, Daines has sponsored or supported various bills to sell off or strip protections from our most pristine Western public lands. Daines has also publicly expressed support for William Perry Pendley, Trump’s bigoted, anti-public lands nominee to head the Bureau of Land Management. Pendley has argued for selling off almost all public lands, is opposed by more than 100 conservation organizations, and has a history of making racist anti-Black, homophobic and transphobic comments. Despite efforts to cast himself as a conservationist in recent weeks, Daines’ long anti-environmental record speaks for itself. Daines’ full anti-environmental voting record can be found here.

Sen. Cory Gardner (CO): 2020 Dirty Dozen

Cory Gardner has earned an 11% lifetime LCV score and in the first three years of the Trump administration he backed the president’s extreme policies over 97% of the time. Gardner has taken $1.7 million in contributions from corporate polluters. He consistently votes against clean air and clean water protections, voted to undermine NEPA, voted to cut the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget by a third, and, despite recent attempts to look good in an election year, has a record of selling out public lands. Gardner refuses to support the bipartisan CORE Act which would protect 400,000 acres of public lands in Colorado and has not opposed Trump’s nomination of anti-public lands bigot William Perry Pendley to head the Bureau of Land Management. Gardner’s full anti-environmental voting record can be found here.

John James (MI): 2020 Dirty Dozen 

While businessperson John James he has no political record to speak of, he has a history of making statements against environmental regulation and climate action. James is endorsed by the Koch-founded group FreedomWorks, which supports an agenda of “rolling back environmental regulations” and opposed a budget that restored funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GRLI) after the White House tried to cut it. James has said he supports the Trump agenda “2000%” and has refused to stand up to the administration’s policies that hurt the Great Lakes, including Trump’s opposition to new PFAS cleanup standards. James has attacked Biden’s climate plan saying it would “destroy the economies of the industrial Midwest.”

LCV Victory Fund has already run one joint TV ad in support of Senator Gary Peters this cycle with NRDC Action Votes and EDF Action Votes: “Diagnosed.”

Sen. Martha McSally (AZ): 2020 Dirty Dozen 

During her time in Congress, Martha McSally has earned a lifetime LCV score of just 7%. Arizona families breathe some of the worst air pollution in the country and Arizona communities, especially communities of color, are at an elevated risk of health complications from that dirtier air. Instead of fighting for affordable healthcare and cleaner air for Arizonans, McSally has opposed the Affordable Care Act and protections for pre-existing conditions at every turn, supported Trump’s rollback of the Clean Power Plan which would put no meaningful limits on carbon pollution, and has taken over $650,000 in campaign donations from the corporate oil and gas industry. McSally’s full anti-environmental voting record can be found here.

This is Martha McSally’s second time on LCV Victory Fund’s Dirty Dozen list. LCV Victory Fund defeated McSally in her 2018 race against Kyrsten Sinema. LCV Victory Fund has already run two TV anti-McSally TV ads this cycle: “600,000” and “Unforgivable.”

Sen. Thom Tillis (NC): 2020 Dirty Dozen 

Thom Tillis has a lifetime LCV score of 9%. From referring to climate change as “false science” to voting against acknowledging that climate change is real, Tillis has a long history of denying the threat of the climate crisis — despite the fact that North Carolina has been hit by a series of devastating hurricanes causing billions of dollars in damage. Tillis has taken more than $450,000 in contributions from corporate polluters. He has repeatedly opposed investing in clean energy while supporting billions in handouts to Big Oil. Tillis’ full anti-environmental voting record can be found here.

This is Thom Tillis’ second time on LCV Victory Fund’s Dirty Dozen list. He was first named to the list in 2014.

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