Washington, D.C. – Today, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is announcing a new $100,000 digital ad campaign against Rep. Jolly in Florida’s thirteenth district, building on LCV’s $200,000 mail campaign announced last week. This is LCV’s second ad tying ExxonMobil’s attempts to deny climate science to a candidate’s support for the oil industry.

You can view the digital ad, “Another Connection” here, with script and backup here. The digital ad is targeted to the district, and will run through Election Day.

“Newly-released documents show oil giant Exxon had scientific evidence forty years ago that climate change is being fueled by carbon pollution, and spent millions covering it up, propping up politicians to block action to protect us,” reads the ad’s voiceover. “The local connection – thirteenth district Congressman David Jolly. A longtime lobbyist, Jolly is one of the politicians listed taking tens of thousands from oil and gas interests, and voting their way. David Jolly protected big oil. Not us.”

Jolly, who has lobbied on behalf of the oil and gas industry, has been named to LCV’s signature “Dirty Dozen” list. He has a record of attacking critical clean air and water protections, as opposed to challenger Charlie Crist’s pledge to invest in clean energy and safeguarding the coastal resources of Pinellas County. Jolly has an awful 8 percent on LCV’s National Environmental Scorecard.

In October 2015, Scientific American wrote, “Exxon was aware of climate change, as early as 1977, 11 years before it became a public issue, according to a recent investigation from InsideClimate News. This knowledge did not prevent the company (now ExxonMobil and the world’s largest oil and gas company) from spending decades refusing to publicly acknowledge climate change and even promoting climate misinformation—an approach many have likened to the lies spread by the tobacco industry regarding the health risks of smoking. Both industries were conscious that their products wouldn’t stay profitable once the world understood the risks, so much so that they used the same consultants to develop strategies on how to communicate with the public.”  [Scientific American, 10/26/15]

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Paid for by the League of Conservation Voters, www.lcv.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.