Overlooked in Climate Politics: December 2024
Welcome to Overlooked in Climate Politics, the Environmental Voter Project’s newsletter with a quick rundown of 3 under-reported stories in climate politics. Please forward this to your friends — they can subscribe here! In this edition, we spotlight who climate voters supported in the 2024 presidential election, exit polling data on fracking in Pennsylvania, and how voters in Ann Arbor, MI approved the creation of a local clean energy utility.
Exit Poll: Climate Voters were Harris’s Strongest Supporters.
Data from the AP/NORC exit poll of over 120,000 general election voters found that 7% of voters said climate change was the most important issue facing the country (up from 4% in 2020). Additionally, the Environmental Voter Project’s analysis of exit polling data found that these climate-first voters supported Kamala Harris by a 10:1 margin, which was larger than Harris’s support from any other issue constituency group. In some swing states, such as North Carolina, climate-first voters supported Harris by a staggering 48:1 margin, which was even more than her support from registered Democrats.
So how did Pennsylvania Voters actually feel about Fracking?
Much was made over Vice President Kamala Harris’s decision to defend fracking as part of her strategy to win Pennsylvania, but was the campaign’s analysis correct? AP/NORC’s exit polling data of over 4,000 Pennsylvanians showed that the state’s voters favored expanding fracking by a 63%-36% margin. Although this exit polling data doesn’t clarify how many non-voters stayed home due to Harris’s stance, it does show how the climate movement has work to do when messaging about fracking to voters in the country’s largest swing state.
Ann Arbor, MI approves creation of a clean energy utility.
Julian Spector at Canary Media wrote a great piece covering how voters in Ann Arbor, MI — a city of 120,00 people — voted to approve a new clean energy utility by a stunning 79%-21% margin. This is a great example of how there is both political will and opportunity for big climate policy wins at the local level.
How You Can Take Action
Join the Environmental Voter Project on Zoom to mobilize low propensity environmental voters for the upcoming special election in Virginia State Senate District 32! Sign up for our phonebanks using scripts proven to boost turnout: December 16th at 6pm ET / 3pm PT and January 6th at 6pm ET / 3pm PT. Training provided — please join us!
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