Each month, LCV shares five stories about the impact of our work. This month, we’re focusing on how we helped defeat the Trump/Musk agenda in Wisconsin, broaden voting access in New Mexico, and advance clean energy progress in two of the nation’s largest cities — all while investing in future climate leaders and representing the environmental movement at the D.C. Hands Off! rally.

This Month’s Stories

1. People Power Drives Wisconsin Supreme Court Victory

Despite the fact that Elon Musk spent $24 million in an attempt to buy a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat earlier this month, LCV’s Wisconsin state affiliate, Wisconsin Conservation Voters Independent Expenditure Committee (WCV IEC), helped turn out pro-democracy, pro-climate voters to win this critical race.

Why It Matters

• This was a resounding repudiation of the Trump agenda, and a victory for democracy and environmental protection.
• Judge Susan Crawford’s win secures a pro-democracy, pro-conservation majority on the court that will safeguard Wisconsin’s future for generations to come.
• The Court may soon have a hand in redistricting, and fair maps are key to ensuring that Wisconsinites voices are heard fairly at the ballot box in 2026, when they will vote on gubernatorial and legislative races.

How We Won

WCV IEC played a pivotal role in this victory, investing over $1.13 million and mobilizing thousands of volunteers to ensure voters knew what was at stake. Their work includes:

• Knocking on 140,000 doors
• Sending more than 21,100 postcards
• Launching a digital ad campaign exposing the corporate influence threatening Wisconsin’s clean air and water, and the state’s democracy

A Possible Turning Point

“This win is a testament to the power of voters standing up against corporate polluters, anti-democracy forces, and the extreme agendas of Elon Musk and Donald Trump,” said WCV Executive Director Kerry Schumann. “This sends a clear message to those who wish to dismantle what’s best for our state, its people, and its environment. And, it’s a call to press the fight and reclaim our shared future.”

• Crawford defeated her Trump-endorsed pro-polluter opponent by 11%, despite Musk and his allies spending tens of millions of dollars in this race.
• Every county in the state shifted left, and swing counties across the state voted blue, flipping back from 2024’s November results.

Dig Deeper: Learn more about what was at stake in this election and why it matters for Wisconsin and the nation.

2. LCV President Speaks at D.C. Hands Off! Rally

Pete Maysmith joined millions of people across the country on April 5 to defend our public lands, our rights to clean air and water, and our communities. During his speech at the Washington, D.C. Hands Off! rally, Maysmith called out the president for selling out our health and our environmental protections in favor of Big Polluters’ profits.

Maysmith laid out a clear vision for a prosperous future: tackling the climate crisis, creating jobs and lowering energy bills, and protecting public lands and our communities. He also called for protecting our nation’s democracy, making sure that every vote is counted, and that communities have a voice in the decisions that impact them.

Get to Know Pete Maysmith: Read his reflections on his first day as LCV president and learn about his vision for how LCV will meet this moment.

Rally Together: Check out Hands Off! Images from across the country.

3. New Mexico Increases Voting Access with Open Primaries

To address the climate crisis, voters must be able to have their voices heard at the ballot box. New Mexico lawmakers ended their 2025 session by passing legislation that broadens who can participate in its primaries. The bipartisan legislation — which was signed into law by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham earlier this month — creates semi-open primaries, replacing the previously closed primaries that excluded large swaths of independent and undeclared voters because only registered Democrats or Republicans were allowed to participate.

What This Means for Voters

• The approximately one-quarter of voters who are not registered as members of a major political party now have a say in the primaries — affecting approximately 330,000 voters.
• People living in western New Mexico, including Gallup and the southern Navajo Nation, are especially impacted, due to the likelihood that they are not registered with a major party.
• Taxpayers whose taxes are used to run primary elections, but who were not able to participate in those elections due to their registration status, will now be able to do so.

How We Won

LCV’s state affiliate, Conservation Voters New Mexico (CVNM), helped secure this bipartisan legislation by:

• Showing up as the primary environmental voice at every committee meeting and testifying during hearings.
• Coordinating and securing critical votes.
• Serving as a valued voice in the pro-democracy coalition, providing accountability and legislative leadership and participating in an intersectional approach to issue advocacy that included all stakeholders.

What’s Next

There is a nationwide trend to more open primaries. The number of states with closed primaries that don’t allow independent voters to participate has fallen to 16 in recent years. States affiliates across the CVM are considering a variety of approaches to create a more inclusive and participatory democracy.

4. Boston and Chicago Hit Clean Building Milestones

According to the U.S. census, more than 80% of the U.S. population lives in urban areas, making the work occurring in cities across the country to tackle the climate crisis critically important. Urban climate action decreases emissions, creates cleaner air and water for residents, and provides successful models to be replicated across all levels of government. Boston and Chicago, two of the largest cities in the U.S., are climate leaders among urban areas and have recently shifted buildings to clean energy.

Boston’s New Net Zero Carbon Zoning

Boston is the first city in the country to require most new large buildings to have net-zero carbon emissions from the day they open. This new zoning requirement will accelerate progress in achieving the city’s goal of being carbon-neutral by 2050 — which is significant given that buildings account for nearly 71% of Boston’s carbon emissions. The new requirements will be met by reducing energy use through efficiency upgrades, increasing electrification, and using renewable energy sources.

LCV’s state affiliate, Environmental League of Massachusetts, was instrumental in this win. Their staff:

• Worked in partnership with community-based environmental groups to advance the regulations.
• Met with the Mayor, members of her administration, and the Boston Planning and Development Agency to provide input.
• Testified during a Boston City Council hearing in support of the plan.
• Provided written comments to the Boston Zoning Commission advocating for passage of the regulations.

Chicago City Facilities Now Run on 100% Clean Energy

As of January 1, 2025, all 411 buildings and facilities owned by the city of Chicago are running entirely on renewable energy — including O’Hare Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world. This milestone will eliminate 290,000 metric tons of emissions each year — equivalent to taking more than 62,000 cars off the road annually. One key benefit of this plan is that the city is sourcing renewable energy for its buildings by bankrolling new renewable energy projects rather than just purchasing existing renewable energy.

LCV’s state affiliate, Illinois Environmental Council, played a leading role in securing this victory by:

• Launching the Clean and Affordable Buildings Campaign with partners in 2023 to push the city to act on its climate commitments and enact emissions reduction solutions for the buildings sector.
• Leading the coordination of the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition’s multi-pronged, statewide building decarbonization advocacy.
• Mobilizing hundreds of city residents, organizing events, and holding dozens of meetings to brief city officials — including those representing environmental justice communities — about building electrification.
• Educating the public, including putting up billboards about the dangers of methane pollution.
• Participating in hearings and public comment periods to help drive engagement.

5. Investing in Future Climate and Democracy Leaders

Building future leaders is a key component of LCV’s long-term strategy and feeds into our theory of change, which spans grassroots organizing, advocating for sound policies, holding elected officials accountable, building state and local power, and electing climate and democracy champions to office.

LCV and our affiliates grow leaders using a wide-range of approaches designed to meet the unique needs of the individual communities where we work. Recent leadership development efforts include:

Chispa Nevada’s Digital Organizing Bootcamp

The inaugural training event was created to meet the growing need for effective digital advocacy skills. Participants built leadership skills and engaged in the following:

• Gained hands-on experience with online advocacy tools
• Learned about micro-influencing and strategies for engaging their communities through social media and email
• Built the digital skills needed to mobilize support for key issues in the online space
• Created videos on utility accountability and clean air and transportation campaigns

Learn more about LCV’s Chispa programs and how they’re working to advance climate justice in Latine communities across the country.

Colorado’s Climate Justice Leadership Training

Conservation Colorado, LCV’s state affiliate, led a Climate Justice Leadership Academy session at the University of Colorado Denver, providing knowledge and skills-building across a range of topics, including:

• Environmental justice and the long-term health effects of environmental racism
• Skills for effective climate action and environmental advocacy
• How environmental issues impact historically-marginalized communities

Through their free leadership programs, they are preparing the next generation of climate justice leaders in Colorado.

LCV’s Candidate Academy

Our Candidate Academy trains pro-climate action and pro-democracy potential candidates to run for office. Four alumni who won their campaigns recently shared stories and tips with potential academy participants during our Campaign Fundraising Basics webinar. Our combination of in-person academies and webinars for prospective participants:

• Creates a pipeline of future climate and democracy champion candidates
• Helps them understand effective fundraising, messaging, field campaign strategies, and endorsements.

Over the last year more than 60 candidates graduated from the academies in Idaho, Louisiana, Utah, Vermont, and Texas, and 200+ prospective participants were reached by monthly webinars. There are currently 17 alumni holding office across the country.

Learn more about LCV’s Candidate Academies and how they prepare pro-environment leaders to run for office.