Highlights their unprecedented effort to help elect Terry McAuliffe Governor of Virginia

WASHINGTON, DC—The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) presented the John Hunting Winning for the Environment Award to the Virginia League of Conservation Voters (VLCV) during LCV’s annual Capital Dinner this week. VLCV was recognized for their unprecedented effort last year helping elect Governor Terry McAuliffe, who spoke by video and congratulated the group at the event. The award was created to honor LCV Honorary Board Member John Hunting’s legacy of service and expertise in the conservation movement and to recognize the rising power of state LCVs.

“It’s an honor to present the Virginia League of Conservation Voters with this award for their unprecedented work helping elect Terry McAuliffe Governor of Virginia,” said LCV President Gene Karpinski. “They played an absolutely critical role in defeating one of the biggest climate change deniers in the country and sending a strong message that the politics of climate and energy are shifting in Virginia and across the country.”

“The choice between Governor McAuliffe and his opponent was clear. Gov. McAuliffe is already acting to address climate change and we look forward to continue working with the McAuliffe Administration over the next three and a half years to protect Virginia’s environment,” said Virginia League of Conservation Voters Executive Director Mike Town. 

The Virginia league played a major role in the race for Governor last year. By the time the polls closed on Election Day, the Virginia League of Conservation Voters PAC had knocked on more than 300,000 doors – the largest effort by any outside group in the race – including more than 100,000 doors in the final five days of the race alone. They were also one of biggest cash contributors to either candidate, contributing nearly $1.7 million to the McAuliffe campaign, including in-kind activities.

McAuliffe made climate change a cornerstone of his campaign, running two ads highlighting Ken Cuccinelli’s denial of climate science. His campaign marked the first time that any candidate has run an ad exclusively focused on his opponent’s denial of climate science. 

His platform on environmental issues was one of the most specific ever put forth by a candidate for any office in Virginia. Throughout the campaign, McAuliffe campaigned on a commonsense approach to clean energy and conservation, saying, “I believe in developing policy solutions that preserve our natural treasures for future generations and help us create new jobs and economic growth today. There isn’t a choice between one and the other – we must do both.”

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