Memo: The most important state and local races to protect our environment and democracy
To: Interested Parties
From: Pete Maysmith, LCV Victory Fund SVP of Campaigns
Date: October 21st, 2024
Re: The most important state and local races to protect our environment and democracy
2024 has been one of the most unprecedented election years in our lifetimes. Most of the biggest headlines have come from the top of the ticket and LCV Victory Fund has built our largest campaign ever to send Vice President Harris and Governor Walz to the White House. But we also know there are critical races at the state and local level that will shape the course of our environment and democracy for years to come. After Democrats in Congress passed the strongest climate and clean energy legislation in American history, implementing the Inflation Reduction Act now largely falls on state and local leaders to effectively make these numerous programs and investments work. States have always been at the forefront of the fight against climate change. As a result of state level action, 40% of the country now lives in a place committed to 100% clean energy.
But more must be done – the climate crisis is here. We see the consequences across the country, from back-to-back hurricanes devastating the southeastern U.S. to deadly wildfires that choke our lungs. No matter what office, no matter how big or small, every election is a climate election.
We also know that we cannot have a healthy environment without a healthy democracy. In 2020, state and local leaders who believed in our democracy held the line against Trump’s attempts to overthrow the election. It has never been more critical to elect officials who will run free and fair elections, ensure everyone has equal access to the ballot, and pass policies that expand voter access.
Below you’ll find a list of races up and down the ticket in states and localities across the country that are major priorities for LCV Victory Fund’s state affiliates to improve our environment, protect our democracy, and build the cleaner, healthier future every community deserves.
Statewide races
Michigan Supreme Court
There is currently a 4-3 pro-environmental majority on Michigan’s Supreme Court which has been key to upholding major environmental legislation and protecting the state from unfounded attacks on election results. Justice Kyra Harris Bolden, appointed in 2023 is up for her first election and Justice Viviano stepped down giving the state two races November 5th. Justice Harris Bolden is endorsed by Michigan LCV and has a 87% lifetime score from her time in the state legislature. Viviano’s replacement is a race between Andrew Fink and Kimberly Thomas. Fink, a current Republican legislator with a lifetime 19% score, has fought funding measures that would help implement voter-approved amendments expanding early voting and voted against enhancing the state’s election certification process. Kimberly Thomas, a professor of law at University of Michigan, is endorsed by Michigan LCV.
Montana Supreme Court
Montana is one of the only states in the country that guarantees a clean and healthy environment as an inalienable right in its constitution. Safeguarding Montana’s air, water, and public lands for future generations is baked into law, but those bedrock principles are under threat. During the 2023 legislative session, a record number of attacks on the Constitution were proposed. While those were struck down, the Constitution is now under threat by powerful special interests who want to sell off Montana public lands to developers and out-of-state corporations by stacking the State Supreme Court. Two seats are up in 2024 and could be decisive for protecting these constitutional rights for all Montanans. Montana Conservation Voters has endorsed Judge Jerry Lynch and Judge Katherine Bidegaray as highly-qualified, experienced judges, and lifelong Montanans that believe Supreme Court justices should be fair, impartial, and non-partisan. Both are committed to defending Montana’s State Constitution.
North Carolina Governor
The country saw the devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene play out across Western North Carolina. It has made the stakes of this election even clearer. The choice for North Carolina is between Attorney General Josh Stein, who took on corporate polluters like DuPont who contaminated North Carolinians’ drinking water or Duke Energy when they spilled 39,000 tons of coal ash in the Dan River. Or Mark Robinson, the most extreme gubernatorial candidate in the country, who is currently embroiled in just the latest scandal over horrific comments he has reportedly made in the past. He adamantly denies climate change as “junk science” and continuously pushes conspiracy theories about clean energy. To no one’s surprise, he’s still being funded by petrochemical giant Charles Koch. Stein on the other hand recognizes the growing threat from climate change and has made protecting clean air, water, and state public lands a signature campaign priority. Outgoing Governor Roy Cooper leaves behind a legacy of climate leadership. The state must elect a leader to continue that progress.
Oregon Secretary of State and Treasurer
If you’ve followed any Oregon politics over the last five years, you know Republicans have tried every tactic possible to stall progress, including walking out of the legislature to prevent a quorum to hold votes. Both Dennis Linthicum and Brian Boquist were the architects of the Republican walkouts that killed votes on climate initiatives and threw the state government into chaos. Now they are looking to win statewide to regain a foothold in Oregon politics, Linthicum as Secretary of State and Boquist as Treasurer. It’s bad enough that Linthicum as Secretary of State would oversee elections but both of these positions sit on the board that oversees state owned lands where both Linthicum and Boquist could vote to open to development and clear cutting.
Washington Public Lands Commissioner
Washington prides itself on protecting the forests, rivers, and natural resources that make it such a unique part of the country. It’s one of only five states that elects a Public Lands Commissioner. The contrast between the candidates this year is clear. Jaime Herrera Beutler has a lifetime 14% LCV score and has been called “highly skeptical of setting aside more state forestland for conservation”. It’s also why massive corporate timber companies have done everything they can to back her campaign. Dave Upthegrove is a long standing environmental champion who’s vowed to protect state lands and stand up to corporate interests. In office he’d champion Washington’s natural resources, stewarding them for future generations and using the office to cement and advance key environmental protections.
Legislatures
Opportunities to flip to pro-environmental majorities
Arizona Senate and House
Arizona sits on the frontlines of climate impacts every day. Extreme temperatures and dwindling water require leaders who understand the stakes. Arizona is also all too familiar with attacks on our democracy and election misinformation during the 2020 election. Arizona is one vote away from a tied legislature in both the Senate and House. With Katie Hobbs in the Governor’s mansion and the right gains in November, Arizona could become the next state to pass landmark clean energy legislation like 100% clean electricity and work to keep attacks on our democracy at bay.
Wisconsin Assembly
The era of gerrymandering in Wisconsin is finally ending this cycle thanks to new, fair legislative maps signed into law by Governor Evers. This change offers the first true opportunity in over a decade to win a pro-conservation and pro-democracy chamber of the legislature. While Governor Evers has been a climate champion during his tenure thus far, he has been faced with an actively hostile legislature at nearly every turn – wholly unwilling to take climate investment seriously and often trying to send the state backwards on issues relating to the environment, democracy and more.
Protecting pro-environmental legislatures
Michigan House
At the end of 2023, with some of the narrowest margins in the country, Michigan was able to pass landmark legislation to transition the state to 100% clean energy. The state is a model for the region with the fastest buildout of wind and solar in the midwest. Michigan has also been the target of attacks on our democracy and the site of some of the country’s worst 2020 election lies. But with Democrats in power the state passed 12 laws to protect vote-by-mail, dropbox access, and registration all in just the last year. With every state House seat up, this is a critical election to show that Michigan voters reward their leaders when they deliver big wins.
Minnesota House
Since the 2022 election, Minnesota’s pro-environment and pro-democracy trifecta has made incredible progress on a slew of key issues. With a slim legislative majority, the state was able to pass dozens of critical bills including democracy reforms and one of the strongest 100% clean electricity laws in the country. With every seat in the state House up for election this year, this trifecta, and the potential for more progress that it currently represents, is on the ballot this year for Minnesotans across the state.
Nevada Senate
For several years, Nevada was expanding critical environmental legislation, raising the state’s renewable portfolio standard, protecting clean water, and defending public lands. But since Republican Governor Joe Lombardo was elected he has continuously vetoed progress on the environment or protecting democracy. Nevada has the chance to have veto proof majorities in both the House and Senate this year which would give a strong bulwark against Lombardo’s radical agenda.
Oregon House and Senate
In 2021, with a pro-environment supermajority in both chambers of the legislature, Oregon passed ambitious legislation to move the state to 100% clean energy. That came after years of stalled progress and a backlog of climate legislation on transportation, buildings, and land use. Today, the state is one seat shy of pro-environmental supermajorities in both the Senate and House which would empower the legislature to pass significant pro-environment policies once again.
Pennsylvania House
Pennsylvania’s House gained a slim pro-environmental majority in the last election by just one seat. They’ve since stood as bulwark against attacks on clean energy and attempts to pass legislation undercutting free and fair elections. With Governor Shapiro leading the Commonwealth, he needs a legislature that can work with him to deliver more clean energy jobs, implement the Inflation Reduction Act, and revitalize communities who have been hit hardest by decades of pollution. All eyes will be on results in Pennsylvania as the crucial state for the Presidential race but down ballot results will have major consequences for the future of environmental progress and protecting democracy for the Keystone State’s 13 million residents.
Breaking anti-environmental super majorities
Montana
Montana has always taken tremendous pride to protect public lands and natural resources. It’s one of the only states that gives residents a constitutional right to a clean and healthy environment. But those long standing protections are under attack from a radical arm of the state legislature. If the state can break a legislative supermajority they’ll have a much stronger chance to protect what makes the state so unique.
North Carolina
The North Carolina Governor’s race is critical to keep strong democracy and environmental leadership in power. But anti-environmental Republicans currently have veto proof majorities in their legislature which allowed them to bypass Governor Cooper on several key issues. With a legislature that cannot override a veto, the next Governor can actually negotiate for efforts to implement the Inflation Reduction Act and give voters stronger democratic protections.
Public Utility Commission and County Races
Arizona Corporation Commission
The ACC is frequently highlighted as one of the most important state level decision makers for the future of clean energy. In 2022 the five person commission was one vote short of passing 100% clean electricity mandate for all state utilities. The ACC has since continued it’s rightwing anti-science turn. Just this year they voted to eliminate critical energy efficiency programs and approved two new gas plants without any public comment. State residents are voting for three seats on the Arizona Corporation Commission with the chance to shift it back to a place that listens to the demands of residents.
Garfield County Colorado
Over the last decade Garfield County’s environmental record has become dominated by one thing: greenlighting anything the oil and gas industry wants. Commissioners have not only lobbied against common-sense protections to rein in major polluters, they used taxpayer dollars to do it. This has all gravely impacted local low income residents and threatened the area’s health and drinking water. It’s why Conservation Colorado Victory Fund nominated current commissioner Mike Samson to the 2024 Dirty Dozen in the States. Challenger Steven Arauza is a scientist, labor leader, and Conservation Colorado volunteer who works in oil and gas regulation and remediation.
Montana Public Service Commission
Montana is a state in transition. The state’s coal plants are losing utility customers in Washington and Oregon and the state needs more clean energy. Unfortunately, Public Service Commissioners like Jennifer Fielder hold the majority. She has been a constant opponent of clean energy and ally to state utilities relying on coal, continuously voting to raise rates for customers. She has long advocated for taking away federal protections for Montana public lands. In the state legislature, she earned an abysmal lifetime score of 16% in Montana Conservation Voters’ legislative scorecard. She has dangerous connections to extremist White Supremacist groups, election-deniers, and January 6th insurrectionists. That’s why Montana Conservation Voters Action Fund named her to the 2024 Dirty Dozen in the States.
Paid for by LCV Victory Fund, www.lcvvictoryfund.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.