Environmental groups are poised to spend $85 million this election cycle in what is the “largest electoral program ever” for the green movement, according to a memo circulated among five organizations.
The groups said that the record spending reflected the prominence of climate change as an electoral issue, even as they face “unprecedented spending by the Koch brothers and other polluters.” The groups contended their favored candidates have succeeded by painting opponents as extreme for denying or being skeptical of human influence on the climate.
They said the spending represents a coming-of-age moment for the environmental community. Until recently, the groups operated with little collaboration. But now their efforts have grown more sophisticated and their actions more coordinated with groups inside and outside environmental politics, in an effort to maximize their effect on races.
“Our groups demonstrated this cycle that we are a major force in electoral politics in the U.S. At the same time as the capacity for climate groups to run sophisticated electoral programs to scale and defeat climate deniers or those who oppose action has dramatically increased, accepting science is becoming a litmus test for many voters,” the memo said.
The memo was sent to officials at the League of Conservation Voters, the Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund, the Environmental Defense Action Fund, the Sierra Club and NextGen Climate Action Fund, the Super PAC started by billionaire former hedge fund manager Tom Steyer. The Washington Post first reported about the memo.
$34.5 million — nearly half the total — went to advertisements for Senate races in Alaska, Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina and New Hampshire. Another $16.9 million supported ground operations, such as canvassing and direct mail efforts in those states, the groups said.
The groups said they would focus on turning out “drop-off” voters — meaning those who went to the polls in presidential elections but typically stay at home for midterms — in the final week before the election. The groups aim to contact 16 million such voters, who tend to include a disproportionate number of unmarried women, youths and minority voters whose policies align more closely with the environmental organizations, the memo said.
“We know, of course, that we may not win every race we’re engaged in, but this cycle, climate groups played a major role in virtually every Senate and gubernatorial race where there was a major contrast between the candidates on climate, including in purple and red states,” the memo said. “Our side is on the offense on this issue.”
