In so many ways, 2020 was a year like no other. As our nation grappled with the intertwined crises of a global pandemic, a national reckoning on racial justice, an economic collapse, and the climate crisis, LCV, our affiliated entities, and supporters like you continued to show up to make an impact for the better. Together, we:
held legislators accountable for their votes on environmental issues;
won an historic conservation victory through the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act
expanded the electorate, especially among young people and people of color, who are traditionally underrepresented in the electoral process;
committed ourselves to the fight for Black lives and addressing environmental racism;
raised more than $44 million for pro-environment candidates through GiveGreen; and
endorsed now President-elect Joe Biden for president and launched our most ambitious electoral effort to help elect him and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
These successes are only possible because of the continued support of donors like you. Your investment in our work, year after year, ensures that we can make the long-term progress necessary to combat climate change and create a healthy, safe, and just environment for all. Thank you.
And now, LCV’s Top Stories of 2020:
1) March 2020 — LCV’S 2019 Scorecard Illustrates Stark Contrast Between Pro-Environment Led House and Pro-Polluter Led Senate and White House
Earlier this month, LCV released our annual National Environmental Scorecard, which has provided the environmental voting records of all members of Congress since 1970. The 2019 National Environmental Scorecard shows a stark contrast between Speaker Pelosi’s pro-environment led House — which wasted no time passing legislation to protect our air, water, lands and wildlife, combat the climate crisis, and protect our democracy — and the pro-polluter led Senate — where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked progress at virtually every opportunity.
The 2019 Scorecard also clearly demonstrates the impact of having a diverse, pro-environment majority in the House of Representatives, and the difference that pro-climate leadership can make on the lives of people, especially in low-income communities and communities of color most impacted by the climate crisis and toxic pollution.
“We are incredibly thankful for the environmental champions in both chambers of Congress who stood up and fought for us in 2019,” said National Director of LCV’s Chispa program, Johana Vicente “We will not forget the senators who voted against the health of our families and communities when they sided with Trump and polluters time and again.”
The Scorecard is the primary yardstick for evaluating the environmental records of members of Congress and is available for download in English here, in Spanish here, and online at scorecard.lcv.org. Read more about the 2019 Scorecard’s release here.
2) March 2020 — LCV Leads Coalition Lobbying to Advance Climate Priorities and Environmental Justice with Letter to Congress Re: COVID-19 Economic Stimulus
As lawmakers negotiated a longer term economic stimulus package in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, LCV led a coalition letter to Congressional leadership. The letter, signed by 18 partners, was sent on Friday, March 20.
In it, LCV asked that no additional support for the fossil fuel industry — which already receives $13 billion annually in federal subsidies — be included in the stimulus package. Instead, LCV and partners encouraged Congressional leaders to prioritize workers and low-wealth communities and communities of color — who are facing the largest burden in this crisis and are more vulnerable to climate change’s impacts — with recovery projects focused on clean energy, safe drinking water, green infrastructure, and parks. The letter also encourages Congress to extend existing investment tax credits and expand incentives for industries leading the transition to our clean energy economy and are also heavily impacted by the pandemic and economic downturn.
LCV and our coalition were successful in our efforts to remove $3 billion for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve from the package. Additionally, the bill contains $25 billion for public transit agencies, which have been hard hit by huge drops in ridership — about 87% in NYC, for example — and are also providing critical transportation to essential workers who need to travel locally during this crisis.
3) April 2020 — LCV Victory Fund Announces $14M Advertising Campaign Revealing Trump’s Anti-Environment Record to “Environmental Swing Voters”
Earlier this month, LCV Victory Fund publicly announced its most ambitious investment ever to impact the presidential election, starting with a $14 million ad campaign — done partly in partnership with Priorities USA Action — to reveal Trump’s dangerous anti-environmental record to environmental swing voters in six battleground states.
LCV Victory Fund’s research shows that only 33% of environmental swing voters report familiarity with Trump’s actual environmental record, and most are unaware of his calculated attacks on climate and environmental protections. When they learn factual information about Trump’s environmental record, their support for a Democratic candidate moves from from 22% to 42% — a stunning 20 point increase.
This initial investment of $14 million will target persuadable voters in Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
4) June 2020 — LCV Launches $3.5M Nonpartisan Vote-By-Mail Generation Program Targeting Voters of Color and Young Voters
This month, LCV launched a $3.5 million vote-by-mail (VBM) generation program to encourage close to 750,000 voters who have historically faced barriers keeping them from the polls or who have never voted by mail to request ballots ahead of the November election. The program will specifically target people of color, young people, and single women who are eligible to vote. LCV’s program staff will make millions of calls to encourage voters to sign-up for a VBM ballot and to spread the word to their friends and family to do the same.
“We’re adapting to this unique moment in our nation’s history in order to reach historically underrepresented communities, especially voters of color and young voters, and make voting as accessible as possible during a health crisis that is disproportionately impacting the communities we are fighting for,” said LCV Vice President of Civic Engagement Matt Davis. Read the full statement here.
5) July 2020 — Huge Conservation Victory: Permanent Funding of LWCF
Earlier this month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed The Great American Outdoors Act, the largest conservation funding legislation in decades, with a bipartisan veto-proof margin. This comes after the Senate passed the bill in June, also with a bipartisan veto-proof margin. The act will provide billions of dollars in perpetuity to fund state and local parks, historical sites, and national parks and other public lands through the full and permanent funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, widely regarded as “America’s best parks program.”
This years-in-the-making victory is a huge win for LCV and our 30+ state affiliates and demonstrates the power of our movement. You may remember that in 2018 we launched a $1 million campaign to permanently authorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which became law in early 2019. Then we re-doubled our efforts and launched a second $1 million campaign to fully fund LWCF in perpetuity. Now, with the passage of The Great American Outdoors Act, our efforts have been realized. Read our statement on the passage of The Great American Outdoors Acthere.
6) August 2020 — LCV Stands With The Movement For Black Lives Today and Every Day
“When Kenosha police brutally shot Jacob Blake and armed vigilantes killed protesters supporting Black lives, our nation was, once again, confronted with the ugly realities of systemic racism. And we know these realities are not new — 57 years ago, our civil rights heroes marched on Washington, demanding an end to the same oppression. Right now, in this moment, supporting Black lives is not just about recognizing the reality of this unabating oppression, but taking action to protect Black lives and uplift Black voices. It’s about making a commitment to dismantle the systems of oppression that harm Black people every single day.”
– LCV Chief Officer for Racial Justice and Equity Leslie R. Hinkson in a statement about LCV’s support of the movement for Black lives today and every day, on the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington. Please take a moment to read the full statement here.
7) September 2020 — LCV’s Chispa Joins Latino Victory Fund and Latina Celebrities to Launch #VoteLikeAMadre
On September 1, LCV’s Chispa and Latino Victory Fund launched the #VoteLikeAMadre campaign, encouraging Latinx moms in battleground states like Arizona, Florida, Georgia, and Nevada to vote for candidates who support action on climate change. Celebrity madres Jennifer Lopez, Salma Hayek, and Zoe Saldana are active supporters of the campaign.
The campaign asks Latinx mothers to #VoteLikeAMadre by taking the following three actions: Make a pinky promise to their kids that they will vote for climate champions, share their promise on social media with the hashtag #VoteLikeAMadre, and make a plan to vote. Bold, immediate action is required to address climate change, and madres are leading the way in their communities by committing to elect officials who will fight the climate crisis and protect their childrens’ future.
You can check out all the buzz around #VoteLikeAMadre by following Chispa LCV’s Twitter and Instagramaccounts.
Related: LCV Senior Vice President for Community and Civic Engagement and Chispa Founder Jennifer Allen Aroz was recently interviewed in the National Journal about how the issue of climate is helping to turn out Latinx voters in the final stretch of the election.
Related: LCV Senior Vice President for Community and Civic Engagement and Chispa Founder Jennifer Allen Aroz was recently interviewed in the National Journal about how the issue of climate is helping to turn out Latinx voters in the final stretch of the election.
8) September 2020 — LCV Announces Launch of 2020 GreenRoots Program in Record Number of States
Earlier this month, LCV announced the launch of its 2020 GreenRoots member mobilization program. With an investment of $1.3 million, the program will recruit and train an organizing team of 75 who will recruit LCV members in 15 states — the most in GreenRoots’ history — to volunteer with candidates’ campaigns. The program will help connect members with volunteer opportunities in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Since 2012, LCV has mobilized its members through the GreenRoots program to knock on doors, make phone calls, wave signs, and rally in green t-shirts to help elect environmental champions endorsed by LCV Action Fund. This year, the program will look different as a result of the pandemic, but we know our members are excited to do safe and virtual voter outreach.
“Our members are energized and ready to do what it takes to help elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, flip the Senate, and expand the pro-environment majority in the House,” said LCV Acting National Organizing Director Jennessa Agnew.
9) October 2020 — Chispa Storybook: Celebrating our Culture through Storytelling
LCV’s Chispa program builds the power of Latinx families and other communities of color in the fight against climate change and environmental injustice. Through grassroots community organizing, Chispa (“spark” in Spanish) elevates the voices of Latinx community leaders who work to advance a just and equitable clean energy future.
In late September, Chispa published its multimedia storybook, a collection of moving, important stories centered on the leadership of Latinx communities in the fight for environmental justice. Even though Latinx Heritage month ended on October 15, you can still help circulate important and powerful stories focused on Latinx CULTURA and contributions to the environmental movement by viewing (and sharing!) the Chispa storybook.
Related: Watch “Fight for Madre Tierra”, a short film by Chispa Communications Director Pita Juarez. The film centers on Chispa National Deputy Director Estefany Carrasco, a first time voter, immigrant, and climate activist, who shares her personal story of resilience and leadership as she fights for her family, her community, and #MadreTierra.
10) November 2020 — LCV Action Fund Congratulates Elected Endorsed Candidates
This election cycle, LCV Action Fund endorsed candidates in 178 federal races across the nation. Of these candidates, 40% are people of color and 52% are women — making this year’s endorsements the most diverse to date and more reflective of our country’s racial and gender diversity. At least 110 LCV Action Fund-endorsed candidates have won their elections, including President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, four candidates for U.S. Senate, and 96 winning candidates for the U.S. House — and there are more races yet to be called.
LCV Action Fund congratulates all of our winning endorsees and the newly-elected class of environmental champions, including three Senators-elect and 10 Representatives-elect. Click here to see the full list of winning endorsees.
