The League of Conservation Voters today added California’s Proposition 23 to its “Dirty Dozen” list, the first time a the environmental group has placed a ballot initiative on the listing of congressional candidates with poor environmental records.
LCV President Gene Karpinski told reporters today that Prop 23 is “the single most important race in the country.” Polling on the ballot measure has been tight. If passed, Prop 23 would effectively overturn California’s landmark global warming legislation. Oil industry groups have spent millions of dollars lobbying for passage of the ballot initiative. Environmental groups have countered with their own campaign to reject Prop 23. LCV and its sister organization, LCV Education Fund, have spent more than $1.2 million to build opposition to the ballot measure.
LCV has also given more than $1 million this year to congressional candidates. That’s more than in 2008 and almost double the amount the group gave in 2006, Karpinski told reporters today.
The group has released a number of television ads targeting key candidates. Yesterday, LCV released an adtargeting Robert Hurt, the Republican running against Rep. Tom Perriello (D) in Virginia’s fifth district. And today it launched two new ads, one criticizing Ken Buck, the Republican candidate for the Colorado Senate seat, and another railing against Joe Heck, the Republican running against Rep. Dina Titus (D) in Nevada’s third district. LCV’s Dirty Dozen listincludes Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), Christine O’Donnell, the Republican nominee for the Delaware Senate seat, and Carly Fiorina, the Republican nominee for the California Senate seat. Here’s a list of the Senate and House candidates who have received the most money from LCV:
Robin Carnahan (MO) $63,053.56
Barbara Boxer (CA) $58,977.93
Harry Reid (NV) $58,008.17
Michael Bennet (CO) $44,948.51
Paul Hodes (NH) $44,724.18
Joe Sestak (PA) $39,961.41
Russ Feingold (WI) $34,864.85
Patty Murray (WA) $30,381.74
Alexi Giannoulias (IL) $21,536.16
Tom Perriello (VA-05) $51,941.42
Betsy Markey (CO-04) $37,735.10
Martin Heinrich (NM-01) $32,188.41
Dina Titus (NV-03) $24,553.03
Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01) $24,525.41
Mark Schauer (MI-07) $23,789.48
John Boccieri (OH-16) $22,955.18