On Tuesday, November 4, 2014, of the 100 total US Senate seats, 64 will
not be contested, and
36 will, 21 of which are presently held by Democrats, and 15 by Republicans. The
NY Times and
CNN appear to agree that the outcomes for about 24 of these Senate races are all but foregone conclusions, with 10 safely resulting in a Democrat victory (Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia), and 14 Republican (Alabama, Idaho, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wyoming).
If your head is starting to spin a little from parsing those numbers and trying to keep track of the states, don't worry, because the essential takeaway here is that there are about 12 interesting, unpredictable Senate races that could go either way on Tuesday (the
NY Times says only 11, but I'm going to throw in West Virginia, anyway...take
that,
NY Times).
The candidate's stance on climate change could and should be the deciding factor in these tight contests, so let's see who understands the issue and its urgency, and therefore deserves the Senate seat. Based on the position stated outright or implied by preferred policy, the following "thermometer" ratings will be given.
In other words, the candidate gets a red thermometer for being a climate realist, a yellow for being a lukewarmer, and a blue for being a denier.
Alaska - Mark Begich (D), Dan Sullivan (R)
Begich: "You have to broaden the perspective and look at what's the goal here. If the goal is to lower emissions, that's disconnected to most people. If the goal is to save taxpayers' money, now the public has some interest."
Sullivan: "I think the jury’s out on climate change...I think the federal response to climate change should not be what the Obama administration is doing, which is trying to kill energy and low-cost energy, and particularly coal."
Arkansas - Mark Pryor (D), Tom Cotton (R)
Pryor: "A federal cap-and-trade program is perhaps the most significant endeavor undertaken by Congress in over 70 years and must be done with great care."
Cotton: "America has the world’s largest fossil-fuel reserves in the world. I view our fossil fuels as a valuable asset to be used, not an embarrassing liability to be restrained...We must open federal lands and the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) to more exploration and production. The oil-and-gas reserves in the Gulf of Mexico, the Arctic Ocean, and federal public lands in the West and Alaska are a tremendous untapped source of economic growth...I strongly oppose all forms of a 'cap and trade' schemes...The government shouldn’t subsidize [alternative energy sources], nor should it artificially increase the cost of oil and gas by singling the industry out for tax hikes and regulatory burdens."
Colorado - Mark Udall (D), Cory Gardner (R)
Udall: "Coloradans know that it's time to start planning for our energy future. Nothing less than our national security and economic success depend on it. Reducing our reliance on foreign oil and curbing the effects of climate change have long been priorities of mine, and I'm working in the Senate to create a plan to tackle these important goals. To do so, we will need an all-of-the-above strategy that includes all of our energy sources, with a special emphasis on those that are clean and domestic. That means focusing on everything from renewable energy and energy efficiency to natural gas and safe nuclear power."
Gardner: "I believe that the climate is changing, I disagree to the extent that it's been in the news."
Georgia - Michelle Nunn (D), David Perdue (R)
Nunn: "Georgia is helping lead America towards an economy that benefits from clean energy investment. We have made huge advances in solar power, becoming one of the fastest growing solar energy markets in the country. Georgia’s solar energy companies are investing in our state and helping increase the amount of energy we use from renewable sources.
"Currently $32 billion leaves Georgia each year to pay for petroleum, natural gas, and coal. But when we supply our energy needs from within our own state, the money stays in Georgia, creating jobs and multiplying the benefits throughout our economy.
"I believe that Washington must create the conditions for these clean energy companies to thrive. This means reducing the uncertainty surrounding renewable energy tax incentives and investing in public-private partnerships that advance clean energy research."
Perdue: "Earlier today, the League of Conservation Voters, a liberal environmentalist group endorsed Michelle Nunn. The group is against the construction of the Keystone Pipeline, advocates for such things like Obama’s war on coal, burdensome EPA regulations, and cap-and-trade...Michelle Nunn supports their liberal agenda. Her own jobs plan refuses to address how burdensome regulations on the coal industry will raise energy prices and destroy jobs. Her website says she wants to 'act now' on climate change."
Iowa - Bruce Braley (D), Joni Ernst (R)
Braley: "Just like our parents and grandparents passed on a better planet to us, we have an obligation to protect the environment for our children and grandchildren. That’s why I supported the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES), which promotes renewable sources of energy, like wind and solar. It also helps advance alternative transportation fuels, clean electric vehicles, and the smart grid and electricity transmission."
Ernst: "Yes, we do see climates change but I have not seen proven proof that it is entirely man-made. I think we do have cyclic changes in weather, and I think that’s been throughout the course of history."
Kansas - Greg Orman (I), Pat Roberts (R)
Orman: (Kansas Sierra Club Chairwoman Yvonne Cather said she expects Orman is avoiding the subject, as well as the Obama administration's efforts to address climate change with executive action, 'because that's a political hot potato' for many candidates...Loomis similarly suggested that Orman's silence on issues like KXL is strategic, as he aims to pick up voters who have become disillusioned with Roberts as he seeks a fourth Senate term.)
Roberts: "There's no question there's some global warming, but I'm not sure what it means. A lot of this is condescending elitism."
Kentucky - Alison Lundergan Grimes (D), Mitch McConnell (R)
Grimes: "I recognize the reality of climate change and the imperative of addressing its potential consequences...The difference between me and the position of many national Democrats is that I am pro-coal and will lead to develop a long-term strategy that addresses economic and energy demands, as well as climate concerns. I oppose drastic unilateral steps such as cap-and-trade or a carbon tax because they fall far short of that standard."
McConnell: "For everybody who thinks it's warming, I can find somebody who thinks it isn't...Even if you conceded the point, which I don't concede, but if you conceded the point, it isn't going to be addressed by one country. So the idea is, we tie our own hands behind our back and others don't."
Louisiana - Mary Landrieu (D), Bill Cassidy (R)
Landrieu: "The President and I have very different views on how to tackle the challenges of climate change. We both want to protect the environment, but I believe that overzealous regulations are harmful to our economy.
"I wish the President today would have instead approved the Keystone Pipeline to create new jobs here at home. And any call to single out the energy industry, including oil and gas, for increased taxes is unwise and counterproductive to economic growth. We should be encouraged that America's emission of CO2 has declined to its lowest level in two decades, and emissions have fallen 13 percent in the last five years alone.
"I am encouraged that the President wants to make coastal communities more resilient to extreme weather by removing counterproductive policies."
Cassidy: "It could just be a shift on the axis."
Michigan - Gary Peters (D), Terri Lynn Land (R)
Peters: "In 2009, I proudly voted for the American Clean Energy and Security Act to invest in renewable energy sources, reduce America’s greenhouse gas emissions and lay the groundwork for a clean energy economy. By pursuing clean energy technologies, we'll break our nation's addiction to foreign fossil fuels and create thousands of American jobs. All of us must do our part to fight global climate change and that's why I’ll keep fighting for important legislation like this."
Land: "My #1 concern is Michigan jobs. Climate change is absolutely real but we cannot afford @Peters4Michigan job-killing regulations #MISEN"
New Hampshire - Jeanne Shaheen (D), Scott Brown (R)
Shaheen: "I’ve long believed that we have a moral obligation to address climate change and the time for action is now. By acting quickly, we’ll not only be protecting our environment for future generations but we can also create jobs, grow our economy and reduce our dependence on foreign oil."
Brown: (Rubens acknowledged climate change, while Brown and Smith said 'no' when asked if science has proven climate change is occurring.)
North Carolina - Kay Hagan (D), Thom Tillis (R)
Hagan: "This is a pressing problem that needs to be addressed and too often gets pushed to the backburner...This current path is unsustainable, and we must take steps now to slow and stop the effects of climate change. This is a challenge that will need to be addressed from many different directions."
Tillis: (When asked if climate change is a fact, all four candidates vying to challenge incumbent Democrat Sen. Kay Hagan said no.
The candidates, Greg Brannon, Heather Grant, Mark Harris and Thom Tillis, were asked the question during a debate Tuesday night.)
West Virginia - Natalie Tennant (D), Shelley Moore Capito (R)
Tennant: (Capito’s Democratic opponent for the Senate seat, Natalie Tennant, opposes Obama’s environmental policies that Republicans say amount to a "war on coal." Tennant said she does believe in human-induced climate change.)
Capito: (Capito said she doesn’t "necessarily think the climate is changing," but told reporters afterward she misspoke and does think people contribute to climate change.)
So now that you know the breakdown,
get yer butts in gear, and vote on Tuesday! You could be the difference between business as usual and the enactment of policy that will actually reduce our emissions.
Oh, and if you were expecting a similar summary of the House and/or Governor elections, there are
waaaaaaayyyy too many, so think again. It may not be much of a life, but I'm gonna spend
some of it away from the computer. ;)
