Washington, DC – Today,  LCV Victory Fund state affiliates announced the first six candidates to the 2022 Dirty Dozen in the States. Modeled after LCV Victory Fund’s federal Dirty Dozen, the Dirty Dozen in the States highlights 12 of the worst environmental candidates in the nation at the state and local level. Members of the Dirty Dozen in the States have consistently sided against the environment and are a danger to our democracy. These candidates are chosen regardless of party affiliation and are running in races prioritized by LCVVF state affiliates in the Conservation Voter Movement. For the first time ever, two candidates were nominated for the same race in Oregon.

The first six candidates:

• Maine candidate for Governor Paul LePage
• Nevada Secretary of State candidate Jim Marchant
• Ohio Supreme Court Justice Pat DeWine
• Oregon candidates for Governor Betsy Johnson and Christine Drazan
• Pennsylvania candidate for Governor Doug Mastriano

“State and local leaders are where the rubber meets the road for so many crucial decisions to protect our environment and our democracy,” said Pete Maysmith LCV Victory Fund Senior Vice President of Campaigns. “States have made strong progress but we know candidates like these want to drag us backwards. These six are the worst of the worst and defeating them will protect communities across the country.”

This year, Congress has made historic progress, passing the Inflation Reduction Act, the strongest climate action in history. At the same time, states across the country in 2022 have also passed vital climate and clean energy legislation. Because of state and local action, 40% of the country now lives in a place committed to 100% clean energy. This also comes at a time when our democracy is under attack. State offices play a key role to ensure all votes are counted and that every voter has equal access to the ballot. 

See more information on why each candidate was nominated below:

Maine Governor – Paul LePage – nominated by Maine Conservation Voters Action Fund

Paul LePage is the former two-term Republican Governor of Maine and was previously on LCVVF’s 2014 Dirty Dozen list. LePage left office with a devastating anti-renewable energy, anti-environment, and oil-dependent legacy. LePage vetoed toxic chemical protections, let critical conservation funding expire, and put an oil lobbyist in charge of the Department of Environmental Protection. He has proudly called himself “Trump before Trump” and was known for his anti-immigrant and racist behavior. 

Maine Conservation Voters endorsed candidate, Governor Mills has worked to protect the state’s environment, tackle climate change, and create good-paying jobs and opportunities for all Mainers. Maine can’t afford to go back to Paul LePage.

Nevada Secretary of State – Jim Marchant – nominated by Nevada Conservation Leadership PAC

Jim Marchant, an election denier, is a direct threat to the recent pro-democracy legislation passed in the Silver State. He filed a lawsuit to challenge the results of the 2020 election, and tried to have all electronic ballot counting stopped in Nevada. The Washington Post highlighted Marchant’s work to organize Secretary of State office seekers across the country as a wave of election denying, conspiracy driven candidates. 

Ohio Supreme Court – Pat DeWine – nominated by Conservation Ohio PAC

Pat DeWine is currently on the state Supreme Court and seeking a second term. He is the son of Governor Mike DeWine with a terrible record on the court. He has ruled in favor of Republican Gerrymandered election maps, refusing to recuse himself despite his father’s direct hand in writing and approving the maps. Justice DeWine is a close ally of the corrupt utility company FirstEnergy that recently was involved in one of the largest state election bribery scandals in US history. He rules consistently in favor of utility companies and against consumers and has accepted tens of thousands from the electrical utility industry, mining, chemical manufacturing, and the oil and gas industry. 

Oregon Governor – Betsy Johnson and Christine Drazan – nominated by Oregon League of Conservation Voters PAC

Two candidates for the same race have never been nominated at the same time, but this highlights how dangerous both candidates are for Oregon’s environment. Oregon League of Conservation Voters endorsed candidate Tina Kotek is in a three-way contest against two well-funded, anti-environment candidates. Christine Drazan, the Republican nominee and former House Republican Leader, is in lockstep with extreme national Republicans. Betsy Johnson has a disastrous 20+ year environmental voting record. 

Both Johnson and Drazan accept significant money from the oil and gas industry and have opposed every single major climate bill in Oregon’s recent history, including 100% Clean Energy for All, the Clean Energy Jobs bill, and the Oregon Environmental Protection Act. Drazan also helped lead the 2020 House Republican walkout to kill the Clean Energy Jobs bill. One of Oregon’s biggest recent victories is Governor Brown’s executive order on climate, the Oregon Climate Action Plan. Both Johnson and Drazan have publicly said that a top priority would be ending it.

Pennsylvania Governor – Doug Mastriano – nominated by Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania 

Currently a State Senator, Doug Mastriano earned a 0% score on the 2019/2020 Pennsylvania Environmental Scorecard. He opposes the state joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and introduced SB 1219, calling for unfettered fracking, pipeline expansion, and looser oversight of drilling activities. Perhaps most disturbingly,  CNN highlighted Mastriano’s direct involvement to try and overturn the 2020 election result in Pennsylvania. He was later subpoenaed by the January 6th Committee for trying to overturn the election in his own state and was also among those that crossed police barriers during the Capitol insurrection, even paying for transportation to the Capitol for other Trump supporters.

The over 30 state Conservation Voter Movement partners worked to determine the 2022 “Dirty Dozen in the States.” The candidates named are some of the most anti-environment politicians running in competitive state-level races for governor, state senate and house, municipal seats, or commissions this cycle.

The “Dirty Dozen in the States” is modeled after LCV Victory Fund’s “Dirty Dozen,” which has targeted candidates for federal office (with occasional exceptions)— regardless of party affiliation — who consistently side against the environment, and are running in races in which LCV Victory Fund has a serious chance to affect the outcome. 

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Paid for by LCV Victory Fund, www.lcvvictoryfund.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.