The 2020 Outdoor Voters Guide
By Jenn Fields. Photos by Lauren Danilek
Hey, have you heard? There’s an election in November.
Even if you’ve shut off the news, shut off your inReach, and disappeared into the backcountry until this whole thing is over, there’s no missing the coming election—and it’s a big one.
“The cliche is that this is the election of a lifetime,” says Mario Molina, executive director of the Protect Our Winters Action Fund (POW AF). “Some people become cynical to that notion. But think of it as dropping into a no-fall couloir or free soloing a climb—if you’re doing that, every move is the most important move. No matter what happened in the last turn, this is the most important of your lifetime.”
POW AF, Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), and other organizations have been working hard this summer and fall with get-out-the-vote initiatives and voter guides to make sure the outdoor community is in the know and hyped to vote. With early voting already underway in many states, the time has come to sit down and get to know your elected officials and the issues at play where you live.
“With the voter guidebook, we’re providing the voting record on issues that relate to staying in Paris [climate accord], clean energy, climate legislation, protecting public lands from fossil fuel extraction, and support for electric vehicles and renewable energy policy, and letting voters make their own choice,” Molina said. “For the president and the senate, we are making endorsements based on that same criteria.”
OIA’s voter guide, which includes both info and some endorsements, considers climate change, public lands and waters, trade, and candidates’ recognition of the power of the outdoor recreation economy. Both POW and OIA talk to members of congress on both sides of the aisle to promote the outdoor industry and the lands and water we love, and that’s reflected in their guides. Case in point: OIA is endorsing Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson, a Republican who is one of the original co-sponsors of the Great American Outdoors Act, for the fourth time, as well as Washington Rep. Suzan DelBene, a Democrat, who OIA says is a “strong champion of OIA’s balanced trade agenda.”
“When we’ve done lobby days on the Hill, you walk into any office and you’re likely to find a member of congress or their spouse who are outdoor enthusiasts themselves, or they have our members’ products,” says Rich Harper, OIA’s director of government affairs. “That’s where the outdoors can really have an impact across the aisle, even in a hyperpartisan environment.”
There are also plenty of champions at the local level, and down-ballot races and local initiatives are important, even if they don’t appear to be. One example, according to Molina, is attorney general races. “AG races have incredible influences over what issues go forward, particularly on environment and climate,” he says.
“A lot of these issues we care about are being decided at the state and local level, so we want to make sure voters’ voices are heard there,” Harper says.
No matter where you live, your vote matters. “This is the most consequential election of our lifetimes,” says Matt Gravatt, the Sierra Club’s PAC director. “Our environment is on the ballot. Climate justice is on the ballot. Public lands are on the ballot. And we need to elect leaders who understand the urgency of the climate crisis, are going to take bold action on the climate, and are going to stand up and defend our public lands.”
We drew from POW AF, OIA, the Sierra Club, and League of Conservation Voters (LCV) to compile this brief guide to races to watch on November 3. It’s a broad overview; we’re counting on you to get to know the candidates and initiatives on your ballot via your own research—and these organizations’ guides (see below) are a great place to start.
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At the end of October, over 70 million Americans had already voted.
VOTER GUIDES FOR THE OUTDOOR COMMUNITY
OIA
outdoorindustry.org/vote-theoutdoors/2020-voters-guide
OIA’s guide includes races to watch plus endorsements for climate champions and defenders of trade issues that affect the outdoor recreation economy.
POW AF Voter Guidebook
Enter your address to learn more about your local ballot. If you live in Arizona, Colorado, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, or North Carolina, you can also read in-depth analysis of how candidates in your state live up to POW’s policy agenda at powactionfund.org/where-wereworking.
Sierra Club
sierraclubindependentaction.org/endorsements
The Sierra Club draws from its vast network of local chapters to develop its voter guide. Enter your address to learn more about the issues and candidates in your area, including who made it through the club’s grassroots endorsement process.
League of Conservation Voters AF
LCV’s National Environmental Scorecard has been a guiding force for voters focused on clean air, clean water, and public lands conservation issues since 1970.
CANDIDATES AND ISSUES
PRESIDENT
Trump vs. Biden
POW AF, the Sierra Club, and LCV have all endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for president of the United States. POW AF’s statement on the endorsement notes that the Biden-Harris ticket “released a bold, comprehensive, and innovative plan to quickly enact forward-looking climate policy starting day one by rejoining the global Paris Climate Agreement.” In its endorsement, LCV wrote, “The 2020 election is our last, best chance to address the climate crisis, and we simply must have strong leadership in the White House. We cannot afford the cost of inaction or another four years of a Trump presidency.”
Biden’s climate plan calls for 100% clean energy and reaching net-zero emissions no later than 2050 and establishes targets for the end of 2025. It calls for a 10-year, $1.7 trillion federal investment in transitioning to a clean energy economy. President Donald Trump has called climate change a hoax, and his administration has axed clean-air and water regulations, as well as opening public lands to oil, gas, and mineral extraction.
“The current administration has rolled back over 200 environmental regulations,” Molina said in an interview. “Mike Pence openly challenged the consensus on climate science at the vice presidential debate.” “It’s about listening to the science, protecting the places we love, and advocating for the lifestyles we want to live,” Molina continues.
ARIZONA
Senate
POW AF has endorsed former astronaut Mark Kelly (Democrat), as has the Sierra Club, whose Grand Canyon Chapter called him a strong climate advocate who “understands how Arizona is being affected by rising temperatures—more heat-related deaths, larger wildfires, and more intense drought.” Kelly’s climate plan promises to triple the number of renewable-energy jobs in the state. (Inside Climate News noted that two-thirds of Arizonans said they wanted action on climate even before this summer, the state’s hottest on record.) His opponent, Sen. Martha McSally (Republican), voted for the Great American Outdoors Act, but aside from saying climate change is “likely” human-caused, hasn’t addressed climate or environmental issues during her time in Congress. “In Mark Kelly, we have the opportunity to elect someone who understands the climate crisis but also understands there are good, family-sustaining jobs in the renewable-energy sector,” Gravatt says.
COLORADO
Senate
Despite incumbent Sen. Cory Gardner’s (R) ushering the Great American Outdoors Act into fruition, LCV, POW, and the Sierra Club have endorsed his opponent, former Gov. John Hickenlooper (D), who has a long outdoors-focused track record that includes creating mass transit and electric-vehicle infrastructure, methane-capture regulations, and the state’s Outdoor Recreation Industry Office. Gardner, LCV notes in its endorsement of Hickenlooper, has an “abysmal 11% lifetime score on LCV’s National Environmental Scorecard.” Molina echoed that sentiment, saying, “Here in Colorado, Gardner has stood by Trump on every environmental decision.”
House
The Sierra Club has endorsed a candidate in all seven of Colorado’s House races, LCV has endorsed three, and POW has endorsed just one, Diane Mitsch Bush for Colorado’s 3rd, a congressional district that encompasses the desert trails of the Western Slope and ski areas from Steamboat to Telluride. “Colorado has a lot of public lands. Those are important, iconic spaces that are important to the outdoor recreation economy and important to all of us,” Gravatt says. “And Jason Crow and Diane Mitch Bush are public-lands champions.” (Crow is the incumbent in the 6th who supports clean energy and rejoining the Paris Agreement.)
Colorado River District mill levy
Voters in Colorado’s central mountains as well as western counties will vote on a property tax increase that could double the Colorado River Water Conservation District’s budget. OIA’s voter guide notes that the levy will help protect fish, wildlife, and recreation throughout the district.
Denver sales tax for climate
In a future where you’re flying into Denver for the Show again, you could also be paying a citywide climate tax (for residents and visitors alike). The .25% tax, which proponents say would raise $36 million annually, would fund infrastructure improvements and incentives for energy-efficient housing, buildings, and streets. The goal? Fewer greenhouse gases, and dialing down the urban heat-island effect.
MASSACHUSETTS
Senate
Sen. Ed Markey had a tough primary battle against Joe Kennedy, but the co-author of the Green New Deal snagged the win in part by touting his climate bona fides (the sick burn in one of his campaign ads didn’t hurt, either). LCV and the Sierra Club have both endorsed Markey, who has authored fuel-efficiency laws during his time in congress and is now calling for a transition to 100% clean energy. “We continue to support Ed as one of the true climate champions in the senate,” Gravatt says.
MICHIGAN
Parks funding
Michiganders have an amendment to their state constitution on the ballot that could change how parks and recreation are funded. Prop 1 will eliminate the cap on oil and gas revenue that feeds the Natural Resources Trust Fund and give greater flexibility to how grants for parks are doled out from that fund. The amendment has support from a broad coalition of outdoor enthusiasts that includes hunters, business leaders, and environmentalists, Michigan Radio reports.
Senate
Incumbent Sen. Gary Peters (D) is facing a tight reelection campaign against West Point grad John James (R). POW AF, the Sierra Club, and LCV have endorsed Peters, with LCV writing, “He has been a key voice for clean water and, as part of the bipartisan Great Lakes Task Force, he has worked to defend the Great Lakes from threats ranging from invasive species to dangerous outdated pipeline infrastructure.” Peters’ fight for clean water has extended to Flint as well. James is running on a pro-business platform, and several outlets have reported that he has no known climate stance. “Ensuring that Gary Peters is reelected is important,” Gravatt says. “Sen. Peters has been a defender of the Great Lakes and protections for air and water in Michigan.”
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Senate
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D), a recipient of the OIA Friend of the Outdoor Industry Award, was a lead sponsor of the REC Act, which requires the government to measure the impact of the outdoor recreation economy. The incumbent has earned OIA’s endorsement as “a consistent supporter of the outdoor industry’s priorities across the policy agenda, from public lands to climate to trade.” POW AF, the Sierra Club, and LCV have also endorsed Shaheen.
NORTH CAROLINA
North Carolina is a hot battleground state, both for the general election and specifically for the outdoor community, in 2020. Climate is becoming a more important issue there, Molina says, and some legislators are actively trying to protect the state’s shores from devastating climate-juiced hurricanes and rising sea levels, as well as offshore drilling. The state has a growing outdoor economy, and it extends beyond the coast and the state’s famous trails. “People don’t know that the Appalacians have a small ski industry,” Molina says.
Senate and House
For congress, the Sierra Club has endorsed eight candidates for the House; LCV has endorsed four; POW has endorsed three. All three organizations have endorsed Cal Cunningham (D) for the senate seat, with POW noting that he seeks to make the state a leader in the solar industry.
Governor
For the top job in the state, incumbent Gov. Roy Cooper (D) faces Lt. Gov. Dan Forest (R), a climate change denier. Cooper wrote an executive order in 2018 to reduce electric utilities’ GHG emissions by 70%. OIA’s voter guide notes that Cooper also signed into law the country’s fifth office of outdoor recreation—legislation that was passed by the state’s Republican-led legislature.