Contact:
Contact: Trevor Russell, Political Chair, 651-274-3336
Joshua Davis, Organizer, 651-214-6883
New Environmental Majority Elected to Minnesota Legislature
Conservation group focused on removing leadersobstructing air and water protection
Minneapolis, MN — Amidst all the celebrations and defeats tonight, one group is celebrating a clean sweep in its election efforts. Sierra Club volunteers and staff gathered at their office in Minneapolis to watch election returns come down decidedly on the side of protecting Minnesota's land, air and water.
"We know Minnesotans value clean air and water. Our main task was to encourage them to carry those values into the voting booth," said Trevor Russell, the Sierra Club's Political Chair in Minnesota. "Many things changed in this election, but the most important victory was the election of a new majority to the state legislature that will allow bills to be heard that keep our air and water clean."
Sierra Club executed a multi-faceted campaign for candidates who support air and water protections. Their legislative scorecard rated incumbents voting records, and they endorsed candidates based on a questionnaire about issues such as mercury pollution, global warming, and mass transit. Over 300 volunteers made more than 25,000 calls to targeted environmental and swing voters, and visited the homes of 5,000 voters in swing districts.
The main target of the Sierra Club's campaign was the Republican leadership of the Minnesota House of Representatives. That leadership, including Speaker Steve Sviggum and Environment Committee Chair Tom Hackbarth, repeatedly blocked legislation promoted by conservation groups. By focusing on six swing districts in Rochester and Twin Cities suburbs, the Sierra Club was instrumental in electing an environmental majority to the House — and removed Sviggum and Hackbarth from their positions.
"We look forward to much better leadership from the Legislature on issues that affect our health and daily lives," said Russell. "We need leaders who care about clean air and water."
Sierra Club's scorecard for the Minnesota Legislature is at northstar.sierraclub.org/politics.