June 6, 2022 | 9:00am

Green Groups Launch Historic $100 Million Effort To Elect Climate Champions In 2022

WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, a coalition of climate and environmental groups announced a new and unprecedented initiative to combine forces with plans to invest over $100 million to elect climate champions at the federal and state level in 2022. The Climate Votes Project will build the political power to secure future climate policy and electoral victories.

The project will range from dynamic paid media to field and includes Climate Power Action, Climate Reality Action Fund, EDF Action Votes (EDF AV), LCV Victory Fund (LCVVF), NRDC Action Votes (NRDC AV), and NextGen PAC. In a key election, Climate Votes Project is the start of the summer of activity across the movement. This announcement builds on previous work to propel climate to the top of the national agenda in 2020 and to unite the Democratic Caucus behind climate action in 2021.

“This year climate groups will expose Republicans in the pockets of Big Oil while lifting up the climate champions that are on the side of the people,” said Heather Hargreaves, Executive Director of Climate Power Action PAC and Senior Advisor to Climate Power. “We’ll be talking directly to voters about how climate action benefits their lives – better jobs, lower costs, and healthier, more just communities. The need for action has never been more urgent, and we will prove that candidates who commit to turbocharging America’s clean energy economy stand the best chance of winning on election day.”

“We know from past experience and research that even amongst all the noise in politics today climate can play a pivotal role in motivating the voters who can make the difference in a close election,” said Pete Maysmith, SVP for Campaigns at LCV Victory Fund. “As the Republican Party only further caters to the fossil fuel industry and their most extreme MAGA supporters, we will be making sure that voters know where their candidates stand and that the stakes have never been higher.”

“Here at EDF Action Votes we are committed to defending our many climate champions. We can’t do this work on our own – that’s why we’re thrilled to be working with our partners in the environmental movement to ensure that our resources go farther to help boost our champions in swing districts and states across the country,” said EDF Action Votes Communications Director Hannah Blatt. "At the end of the day, we are doing everything in our power to elect and re-elect people at all levels who prioritize our environment, tackle climate change, and work to build cleaner, healthier communities."

“This election will determine if the country moves forward with urgently needed policies to protect our communities from environmental disaster and make the transition to a just, sustainable, and healthy future for all,” said Phyllis Cuttino, CEO of the Climate Reality Action Fund. “By working with this group of partners, we can help ensure that voters understand what is at stake in this election and which candidates will act to protect their health, fight environmental injustice, and work to build a cleaner and more equitable future.”

“Climate is a key voting motivator for young voters across the country,” said NextGen PAC President Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez. “At NextGen, we recognize that this powerful and diverse electorate will play a crucial role in electing climate champions to immediately address the climate crisis and mitigate its impacts on future generations. We are committed to using our power to elect leaders who will pave the way for a clean energy future that prioritizes the young people that will have to live with it.”

The coalition will harness an incredible amount of energy among voters. Climate is a top issue that could bring people to the polls this cycle – 72% of all voters say climate change and the environment are important issues to them.

The groups’ efforts this year starts with:

• Climate voter mobilization paid media – A multi-month ad campaign to a modeled universe of over 2 million less engaged Democratic “climate voters” who are motivated by climate but at risk of not voting. Research indicates these voters will be more likely to show up and support a Democrat after hearing about candidates’ work to address the climate crisis.
• Climate persuasion paid media – Ads targeting a broader set of voters to position climate, clean energy, clean water, and air as part of a winning political narrative this cycle. This will include ads to define anti-environment candidates, especially those whose campaigns are funded and supported by oil and gas interests and who oppose climate action.
• A return to in-person field organizing – Running an effective large-scale field program to reach voters with the highest likelihood of being disenfranchised or not voting in the midterms.

Individual groups also will be engaged in additional electoral activities, including in pivotal state and local races across the country.

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Paid for by Climate Power Action, www.climatepoweraction.us, Climate Reality Action Fund, www.climaterealityactionfund.org, EDF Action Votes, www.edfactionvotes.org, LCV Victory Fund, www.lcvvictoryfund.org, NRDC Action Votes, www.nrdcactionvotes.org, and NextGen PAC, www.nextgenpac.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.