Midterms Go Silent on Climate Despite Voter Demand — SkimNews
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- Environmental Voter Project polling found three times as many voters in eight battleground states want politicians to talk about climate more than less, with majorities in each state saying they are more likely to back a candidate who prioritizes a clean-energy transition.
- Abdul El-Sayed and James Talarico are the only Senate candidates across the eight battleground states — Alaska, Georgia, Maine, Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas — who mention "climate" on their campaign websites.
- Jon Ossoff has dropped climate mentions in favor of focusing on the Iran war and inflation, while James Talarico, who previously compared oil and gas to 1980s cassette tapes "not gonna last," now says "I support our oil and gas industry" after previously campaigning against fossil fuels.
- Mary Peltola, the Alaska Democratic Senate candidate, has called for restoring clean-energy tax credits while simultaneously pushing for Arctic oil project approval and increased in-state oil refining — a posture her campaign frames as addressing "the affordability crisis."
- Interior Secretary Doug Burgum claimed last week that "the legs have been knocked out from under" the climate movement, as media mentions of the climate crisis have dropped over the past year amid surging attention to inflation and the Iran war.
- Senator Sheldon Whitehouse argues Democrats should "weaponize" the climate crisis by naming fossil fuel companies as villains, rather than simply echoing back to voters what polls say their top issues are.
- Kerrville, Texas flood survivors, including 18-year-old Georgia Bishop who lost her best friend in last year's floods that killed 136 people — 28 of them at a riverside Christian camp for girls — expressed fury that politicians have tuned out their plight.
Why it matters: Climate-hushing forfeits a tangible electoral advantage: 63% of Alaska voters and 54% of Texas voters favor pro-renewables candidates, yet Democratic Senate contenders in both states have dropped climate messaging. Sheldon Whitehouse argues Democrats should 'weaponize' the issue against fossil fuel 'villains,' but the polling indicates candidates are running from a vote-winner rather than toward one.
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