Climate-forward Democrats swept into power Tuesday night as a blue tsunami flipped the Senate, House and several governors’ races.
asserted
tsunami → sweep → Senate
Voters were laser-focused on affordability, and experts said Democrats succeeded in linking cost-of-living concerns with rising energy prices, datacenters and, to some extent, the climate crisis.
asserted
Democrats → focus → extent
They may have even created a path for a “new climate politics”.
uncertain
They → create → politics
The results delivered a sharp rebuke of Donald Trump, who started a war with Iran that raised gas pump prices across the country and exposed the fragility of fossil fuels, all while the US oil industry earned $130bn in profits since the war began.
asserted
war → deliver → profits
Household energy costs soared, driven by various factors including constraints on renewables, climate disasters and a datacenter boom.
asserted
costs → soar → renewables
But how to articulate this before the election was a matter of debate among Democrats known for “climate forward” views: should they talk about the worsening climate crisis directly or keep messaging tight on affordability?
asserted
they → articulate → affordability
Some senior figures including Gavin Newsom warned about “climate hushing”.
asserted
figures → include → hushing
In the end, as one analysis on Wednesday put it, the results showed “candidates can win on green economic populism”.
asserted
candidates → put → populism
Successful candidates “made connections between the cost of living crisis and the climate crisis, and how the same bad actors–such as utilities, oil companies, corporate landlords, and data center developers–are driving both”, said the analysis, by the thinktank Climate and Community Institute (CCI).
asserted
analysis → make → thinktank
It found the candidates with the “strongest alignment with green economic populism won 39 of 56 (70 percent) of federal races for House and Senate in which they ran, including 6 of 7 in the Senate and 33 of 49 (67 percent) in the House”.
asserted
they → find → House
The results show that “voters want leaders who will make life affordable and stand up for working people against elites, and climate is a critical part of that equation,” said Johanna Bozuwa, the CCI’s executive director.
asserted
Bozuwa → show → equation
While climate was not at the heart of this election, voters were focused on intersecting issues, said environmentalist and author Bill McKibben.
asserted
McKibben → focus → issues
“Energy prices played a significant role, and so did the war in Iran, and those are linked,” he said.
asserted
he → play → Iran
“Those are both about the president’s strategy of oil dominance, which people are realizing is expensive folly …
asserted
people → realize → dominance
[The blue wave] was a rejection of this focus on oil as the way to power the future.”
asserted
wave → power → future
Datacenters became a key focus of voters’ ire, he added: “There’s no question it was the biggest crossover issue to get Republicans, Democrats and independents going in the same direction.
asserted
Republicans → become → direction
The debate about how to talk about the climate in elections will continue – but attention will shift to how Democrats use their success when the new Congress forms.
asserted
Congress → talk → success
Holding power in the House and Senate will give Democrats the ability to launch investigations, and subpoena witnesses and documents.
asserted
Holding → hold → witnesses
The representative Jared Huffman, the top Democrat on the House natural resources committee, has vowed to investigate big oil’s skyrocketing profits amid the war in Iran.
asserted
representative → vow → Iran
Climate-forward Democrats now have several avenues to push their agenda.
asserted
Democrats → have → agenda
Trump must compromise with Democrats to pass budgets, giving them the power to add climate provisions.
asserted
Trump → compromise → provisions
Controlling the Senate means Democrats can prevent the appointments of anti-climate federal judges, cabinet officers and sub-cabinet positions.
asserted
Democrats → control → judges
The election results may shake up negotiations in a controversial permitting reform bill that would clear the way for both clean energy and fossil fuel projects.
uncertain
that → shake → projects
However, McKibben noted, as newly elected candidates won’t take their seats until January, the permitting bill could be pushed through at a 9 November Senate vote.
uncertain
bill → note → vote
McKibben called on Democrats to use their leverage over the budget to restore funding to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other agencies that have faced dire cuts to climate science.
asserted
that → call → science
And, he said, big oil companies are pushing for legislation that would give them immunity from climate damages, and Democrats should “raise holy hell and do everything they can to stop it”
asserted
they → say → it
Climate advocates elected to the House
A handful of climate advocates won House seats Tuesday night.
asserted
handful → elect → seats
In a tight race in Arizona’s sixth congressional district, Democrat JoAnna Mendoza declared victory against Republican congressman Juan Ciscomani.
asserted
Mendoza → declare → Ciscomani
The incumbent Republican voted to phase out Biden-era clean energy tax credits, while Mendoza campaigned on investing in clean energy to save money for ratepayers.
asserted
Mendoza → vote → ratepayers
She also advocated for water security, including protecting groundwater and cleaning up Pfas in drinking water.
asserted
She → advocate → water
In another close race in the Central valley, Democrat Randy Villegas, a 31-year-old college professor, declared victory in California’s 22nd congressional district against Republican incumbent David Valadao.
asserted
Villegas → declare → Valadao
Villegas campaigned on an “all of the above” approach to energy, supporting oil and gas jobs while calling for more jobs in solar, geothermal and battery storage.
asserted
Villegas → campaign → storage
The son of Mexican immigrants, Villegas supports stronger heat protections for farm workers as temperatures increase each year.
asserted
temperatures → support → workers
When Trump entered office, he halted federal heat protections for outdoor workers.
asserted
he → enter → workers
Democrat Brad Lander, who has also pushed for heat protections for outdoor workers, won New York’s 10th congressional district, a reliably blue district.
asserted
who → push → district
He opposed the controversial Northeast Supply Enhancement methane gas pipeline that governor Kathy Hochul revived under Trump.
asserted
Hochul → oppose → Trump
Will Lawrence, a 36-year-old climate activist and co-founder of the youth-led environmental group the Sunrise Movement, declared victory in a purple congressional seat in Michigan after campaigning for state and federal moratoriums against hyperscale datacenters.
asserted
Lawrence → lead → datacenters
However, he has recently expressed skepticism of large-scale clean energy projects, too.
asserted
he → express → projects
As Grist reported, his politics have shifted away from the Green New Deal, which advocated for a massive clean energy build-out, and toward a politics of community control over projects.
asserted
which → report → projects
McKibben, who door-knocked for Lawrence all election, said it was “really remarkable” to see him come up through the climate movement and overcome $4m in Trump Pac-funded attack ads to win.
asserted
him → knock → ads
…and 47 more, not listed.
The Aporia
