Press Releases

LCV Congratulates Gary Peters and Our Endorsed Michigan Candidates

Nov 5, 2020

Contact: Nick Abraham, nabraham@lcv.org, 206-833-7021

Washington, D.C. – The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) congratulates Senator Gary Peters and Representatives Elissa Slotkin (MI-08), Andy Levin (MI-09), Debbie Dingell (MI-12), Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), and Brenda Lawrence (MI-14) on their victories in Michigan tonight. 

Peters’ successful re-election campaign marks a defeat of one of the worst anti-environmental candidates this cycle, John James. James was a member of LCV Victory Fund’s 2020 Dirty Dozen list.

“Michigan has seen first hand the consequences when we don’t protect our air and water,” said LCV President Gene Karpinski. “Gary Peters made it clear that he stands for environmental protection and building the clean energy transition we know we need.”

LCV Victory Fund and New American Jobs Fund invested over $1.8 million to re-elect Senator Gary Peters and defeat John James. The spending included a persuasion television ad in partnership with NRDC Action Votes and EDF Action Votes, persuasion radio ads and direct mail with BlackPAC, a radio ad with NRDC Action Votes, and support for Collective PAC and Black Voters Matter Action PAC’s mobilization work to turn out Black voters in Michigan. Black voters made the difference in Michigan. The New American Jobs Fund (a joint effort between LCV Victory Fund and the United Steelworkers’ USW Works) also ran GOTV digital ads, dropped GOTV direct mail, and ran a GOTV field program in Michigan, including calls and texts to Michiganders encouraging them to turn out in support of Gary Peters, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris. Additionally, LCV Victory Fund invested $300,000 to re-elect Rep. Elissa Slotkin in MI-08. The spending on MI-08 included an $880,000 television ad in partnership with House Majority PAC. 

LCV’s GreenRoots member mobilization program turned out LCV members to volunteer with the campaigns for Joe Biden, Gary Peters, Haley Stevens, and Elissa Slotkin as part of a nationwide field program to help elect environmental champions that engaged nearly 2,600 LCV members.

Environmental donors contributed over $1.35 million to Michigan candidates via GiveGreen. GiveGreen — a partnership between LCV Victory Fund, NextGen America and the NRDC Action Fund PAC that helps grassroots donors directly contribute to pro-environment candidates — raised a record $43 million for the 2020 cycle.

In addition to Peters, Slotkin,  Levin, Dingell, Tlaib, and Lawrence, LCV Action Fund also endorsed U.S. House candidates Haley Stevens (MI-11), Dan Kildee (MI-05), Jon Hoadley (MI-06), and Gretchen Driskell (MI-07) because of their tireless efforts to protect Michigan’s clean water. The races in MI-05, MI-06, MI-07, and MI-11 have not been called yet, though Kildee and Stevens are both in the lead according to the AP. 

These are just some of the climate champions who have won up and down the ballot, demonstrating that leaning into environmental issues is both good policy and good politics.