December 10, 2019

350 Action Endorses Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), and Deb Haaland(NM-01) for House in 2020

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, December 10 2019

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.

This week, 350 Action is endorsing the following candidates:

  • Ayanna Pressley, African-American freshman Congresswoman and member of the “Squad”; Democrat running for Congress in Massachusetts’ 7th District
  • Rashida Tlaib, Palestinian-American freshman Congresswoman and member of the “Squad,” Democrat running for Congress in Michigan’s 13th District
  • Deb Haaland, one of the first two women elected to the U.S. Congress and Democrat running for Congress in New Mexico’s 1st District

The following is a statement from 350 Action’s North America Director, Tamara Toles O’Laughlin:

“The candidates we are endorsing  fully represent the sort of climate leadership we demand in Congress. Pressley, Tlaib, and Haaland have, in just a year, shown a relentless commitment to climate action and their constituencies. As women of color leading transformative progressive change in the United States, they are modeling the work of the future. We endorse them with a firm belief in their vision and ability to make the Green New Deal possible during the climate decade.”

350 Action endorses Ayanna Pressley, Democrat running for Congress in Massachusetts’ 7th District on a platform of criminal justice reform, economic justice, as well as the Green New Deal. A member of the “Squad,” Pressley has provided leadership on the climate crisis, including as a co-sponsor of the GND. Here is her response to our candidate questionnaire, on holding fossil fuel companies accountable:

“Yes, as a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform I have led strong lines of questioning that aim to put the industry on the record and hold them accountable. I also strongly support the work of Attorneys General like my friend and colleague Maura Healey in Massachusetts, who are working tirelessly to hold major corporations accountable for knowingly contributing to climate change and exacerbating the public health impacts, especially in marginalized communities. I support continued investigation at the local, state, and federal level to hold these corporations accountable, and I believe it’s such an important example of why I have elected to reject any contributions from corporate PACs.”

350 Action endorses Rashida Tlaib, Democrat running for Congress in Michigan’s 13th District, running on policies including Debt-Free College, Medicare-for-All, as well as the Green New Deal. A member of the “Squad” in Congress now, Tlaib notably fought the Marathon refinery to ban petroleum coke as a member of Michigan’s House of Representatives. Here is her statement on the Green New Deal, made at climate justice rally in April 2019:

“We don’t think this is bold or radical. This is our life every single day as we walk out the door,” Tlaib said to a crowd at the Bonstelle Theatre in Detroit. “If there’s anyone that deserves a seat at the table, it is us. We are on the frontlines every single day in Wayne County and Metro Detroit.”

350 Action endorses Deb Haaland, Democrat running for Congress in New Mexico’s 1st District, on a platform of economic justice and ending environmental racism, as well as the Green New Deal.  Haaland is a member of the member of the Laguna Pueblo and one of the original co-sponsors of the GND resolution, with a strong record of climate justice advocacy in New Mexico and at the national level. Haaland has pushed for investment in renewable energy and for an end to fracking in her home state. Here is Congresswoman Haaland’s climate justice statement on her campaign website:

“We need to act fast to counteract climate change and keep fossil fuels in the ground. I pledge to vote against all new fossil fuel infrastructure, and to fight instead for 100% clean energy — including tens of thousands of solar energy jobs for New Mexicans. We deserve representatives in Congress who will stand up to the fossil fuel industry, and I will.

Indigenous rights and the fight for climate justice cannot be separated, and I will fight for tribal nations  across the country who are battling the fossil fuel industry in their backyards.”   

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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