NCLCV Endorses Key Defenders of Environment and Democracy
The NC League of Conservation Voters (NCLCV) Conservation PAC has announced its endorsements for this fall’s general election: NC Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls and 68 candidates for the NC General Assembly.
The legislative endorsements include 15 incumbents and 3 newcomers for Senate seats, and 36 incumbents and 14 new candidates for the House.
“These incumbent leaders have earned our endorsement because they have continually stood up for our environment, our democracy, and the health and well-being of every North Carolinian. This includes protecting our rights to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and have affordable, clean energy,” said Dan Crawford, NCLCV senior director of public affairs. “We value the commitment of the new candidates to stand up to polluters, defend our democracy, and advance a positive, pro-conservation, pro-clean energy agenda at every level of state government.”
See the 68 endorsed state legislative candidates here.
Retaining Justice Anita Earls Essential
Statewide, the slate leads with incumbent NC Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls, who is seeking another term on the Court. Justice Earls has been a stalwart supporter of voting rights and fair elections. She has also dissented from decisions allowing the state legislature to strip power from elected environmental champions in the executive branch (such as Gov. Josh Stein) and efforts to hand more control to pro-polluter lower executive officials (such as State Auditor Dave Boliek). Those moves by the state legislature have resulted in key rule-making bodies like the NC Environmental Management Commission and NC Utilities Commission becoming more hostile to strong pollution controls and clean, renewable energy development. They have also produced election boards that are making it harder for many citizens to cast their votes, and easier to strip eligible voters from the voting rolls.
Retaining Justice Earls in her Supreme Court seat is an essential step in the multi-year effort to regain a majority on that Court for enforcing the fair elections and separation of powers principles contained in the NC state constitution. That effort began in 2024 with the election of Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs, continues with the re-election of Justice Earls this year, and should conclude with the 2028 election cycle, in time to have a new Court majority in place during the critical 2030 census and election cycle.
NCLCV Ongoing Efforts
In 2024, NCLCV was instrumental in electing Josh Stein as governor. It now seeks to elect a pro-conservation majority at the General Assembly that prioritizes North Carolina’s values in protecting the air we breathe and water we drink.
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