The leading Republican candidates for president have been practically falling over each other in an attempt to stake out the most extreme climate denier positions. Whether it’s frontrunner Donald Trump calling climate change an outright hoax, or Senator Cruz calling it a liberal plot to ensure “massive government control of the economy, the energy sector, and every aspect of our lives,” it’s clear that they are in a race to stake out the most radical positions to deny climate change.

When leading Republican candidates all deny the urgency of climate change in order to please the Big Polluters that fund their campaigns, we need the strongest possible climate champion in 2016, and that person is undeniably Hillary Clinton.

Not only has Hillary been outspoken about how she plans to meet the climate challenge head-on, she has the record and experience to build on the achievements of the Obama presidency.

Before tonight’s townhall, LCV’s memo shows why we believe she is the best candidate to combat climate change. Since announcing her candidacy, Hillary Clinton has:

• Repeatedly pledged to defend and build on the progress of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, including the historic Clean Power Plan, the single largest step our country has taken to cut carbon pollution and fight climate change.
•  Pledged to see through the Obama administration’s recently announced review of coal leasing on federal lands, promising a top-to-bottom environmental review, as well as support for economic rebuilding of mining communities.
• Signed NextGen Climate’s pledge to achieve 50 percent clean energy in the U.S. by 2050.
•  Specifically laid out a plan for the U.S. to generate enough renewable energy to power every home by 2027 and pledged that by the end of her first term there would be more than 500 million solar panels installed across the country, a 700% increase from 2014 levels.
•  Explained that she will incentivize investment in renewable energy sources by increasing the number of government grants for clean energy, extending federal clean energy tax incentives and expanding renewable energy on public lands.
•  Spelled out plans for upgrading American’s energy infrastructure.
• Detailed a vision for a North American Climate Compact that would include ambitious targets, clean energy markets, and methane management.
• Spoken forcefully in support of the Paris Accord.
• Opposed drilling in the Arctic Ocean and to the dirty and dangerous Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.