The 2012 US Election Saw the Rise of Environmentalists as a Political Force

Environmentalism has been around for decades, but in 2012, despite a highly polarized electorate and a lack of formal discussion on climate change, environmentalists have emerged as a political force to be reckoned with.

As reviewed in the Washington Post, in the election of 2012, the environmental community played a key role in several stated including “New Mexico, Montana, Texas and other states, winning seven of eight targeted Senate races and at least three targeted House races.”

A lot of money was spent by a number of different groups but even the fossil fuel industry was forced to concede that environmental groups appear to have invested their money wisely.

“There is evidence that the environmentalists have become a more mature political force,” said Scott H. Segal, who lobbies for utility companies at the firm Bracewell & Giuliani.

“Environmentalist spending was up considerably this cycle, and they seemed to resist the frequent trap of supporting third-party or crank candidates in ways that would have siphoned off votes from mainstream Democrats,” Segal said.

Some of the environmental groups that provided funding and volunteers included the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), the Sierra Club, National Wildlife Federation Action Fund, Defenders of Wildlife Action Committee, Environment America and Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund.