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Washington Watch: Environmental Allies Take Over U.S. House

Washington Watch: Environmental Allies Take Over U.S. House

In federal congressional elections, control of the U.S. House of Representatives flipped from Republican to Democratic control, bringing in leadership far more oriented to pro-environment positions, including action on climate change.

The national League of Conservation Voters (LCV) cites 46 new pro-environment members elected to the House, as well as 10 new pro-environment governors and progress made in state legislatures around the country, including here in North Carolina.

“After a year and a half of President Trump and Congress’ unprecedented rollbacks of public health, climate and public lands protections, and significant on-the-ground work from the environmental community to build opposition, voters last Tuesday said enough was enough,” said LCV Victory Fund’s Pete Maysmith. “They showed up at the polls and rejected the Trump agenda designed to benefit corporate polluters — and ushered in the next generation of environmental leaders.”

In North Carolina, the LCV Action Fund made three endorsements in congressional contests: Linda Coleman in the Second District, Dan McCready in the Ninth, and Kathy Manning in Thirteenth. Unfortunately, the illegally gerrymandered district maps proved to be too much for any of those challengers to overcome, though the races were close, particularly in the Ninth and Thirteenth.

Federal courts have already twice thrown out North Carolina’s congressional district maps as illegally gerrymandered. There will likely be yet another set of new maps for these races in the 2020 election, and possibly even for a 2019 special election, likely giving pro-environment forces a better chance of flipping these seats and others.

Up next, Supermajority Broken >>

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