Brooklyn, NY — 350 Action is endorsing candidates who have demonstrated their commitment to progressive action on climate change, by supporting a just transition away from fossil fuels towards 100% renewable energy that centers a Green New Deal, and advocates to keep fossil fuels in the ground. You can find 350 Action’s other 2020 endorsements here.

This week, 350 Action is endorsing the following candidates:

• Morgan Harper, Democrat candidate running for the House in Ohio’s 3rd District
• Mike Siegel, Democrat candidate running for the House in Texas’ 10th District
• Stephen Smith, Democrat candidate running for West Virginia Governor

The following is a statement from 350 Action’s Policy Director, Natalie Mebane:

“We are at the edge of a precipice when it comes to climate justice, and this election year promises to change the course of climate change, if we support the candidates who will help get us there. We need climate advocates, not deniers, to represent the needs of frontline communities and Indigenous people, when it comes to protecting our homes and families from catastrophes created by fossil fuel companies and their executives. That’s why 350 Action is proud to continue endorsing candidates who see climate change for the crisis it is and are determined to take bold action during the climate decade.”

350 Action endorses Morgan Harper, Democrat candidate running for the House in Ohio’s 3rd District on a platform that includes Tuition-Free Public College and Medicare for All.  Here is her response to the 350 Action candidate questionnaire: 

“I would support the elimination of all federal oil and gas industry subsidies, and reallocate those funds to ensuring a smooth transition for workers in the coal, oil, and gas industries to careers in green energy…. I would support shifting a significant portion of the existing Department of Defense budget to building national infrastructure, including public transportation, that can both slow and mitigate the effects of climate change. I would support the elimination of subsidies to large agricultural companies, and reallocate those funds to helping local farmers shift away from livestock and towards greener food production (both in terms of lower greenhouse gas-emitting and less water-intensive).” 

350 Action endorses Mike Siegel, lawyer and Democrat candidate running for the House in Texas’ 10th District, on a platform that includes Pro-Choice for Abortion and a Green New Deal. Here is his response, submitted by the Senator’s team, to the 350 Action candidate questionnaire.

“I will sponsor and co-sponsor legislation in support of [demands for a moratorium on fossil fuel projects] and link them with local struggles as a way to build political power. For example, across the Texas 10th Congressional District, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is issuing new fracking permits, threatening an already-polluted community with additional contamination. We have a coal plant in Fayette County, in the middle of TX-10, that is publicly owned and operated, and has been poisoning a massive aquifer for 40 years, as coal ash contamination and acid rain leach into the groundwater. I am organizing in these communities, and will continue to do so as a representative, to bring these local struggles to the national stage, and to build a national movement to keep fossil fuels in the ground.”

350 Action Stephen Smith, Democrat candidate running for West Virginia Governor on a platform that includes Freedom for People with Disabilities and a Worker’s Bill of Rights. Here is his response, submitted by the Senator’s team, to the 350 Action candidate questionnaire.

“I will raise severance taxes and pollution fines and fees to pay for a massive clean energy jobs and infrastructure program here in West Virginia.”

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350 Action is empowering voters across the country to make a direct impact in the most important climate races in the nation. From local elections that can determine the fate of proposed fossil fuel projects, to House races which could help wrestle control of Congress back from climate deniers and oil industry puppets, 350 Action is lifting up climate progressive candidates. Find out more about our work at www.350action.org.