This election was far from a normal one, and it was definitely not one that the Sierra Club could sit out. Despite the outcome of the Presidential race, we are proud of the work of our staff, volunteers and most importantly our members who never gave up throughout this election. We knew what we were up against -- a climate-denying Presidential candidate and other friends of big polluters up and down ballots across the country. But the political work of the Sierra Club has never been about politics; it’s about fighting to save lives and our environment. We utilized our strengths -- the Sierra Club brand, grassroots organizing, creative communication, and invaluable partnerships -- to run an ambitious political program.
The Sierra Club was proud to stand by climate champions like Hillary Clinton, Catherine Cortez Masto, Kamala Harris, Maggie Hassan, and Roy Cooper win or lose. Clinton’s defeat was a big blow to the Sierra Club and the future of our work, as with many progressives and people across the country. That significant defeat dominated the national narrative and (rightly or wrongly) overshadowed many key wins from this political cycle and Election Day. Yet in many ways, the reality of a Trump win brought the fate of climate action to the forefront and will drive up energy and enthusiasm for the fights to come.
This year, the Sierra Club spent nearly $4 million to help climate-friendly candidates from the federal to the state level. We mobilized in an unprecedented way through campaigns aimed at mobilizing climate voters -- and above all, by raising awareness of the stakes for the planet in this election.
Here are some highlights:
Victory Corps:
The Sierra Club has deployed staff to work with campaigns since 1988, and has done so in a more streamlined and formal way since the establishment of our Victory Corps program in 2008. Victory Corps is a nationwide coordinated effort that embeds Sierra Club staff on state and federal campaigns around the country.
Beginning in October, the Sierra Club deployed 39 staffers to campaigns around the country to work on 44 campaigns of key climate and environmental champions. These staffers worked day in and day out with campaigns and their field staffs to create and expand on a robust volunteer operation targeting local Sierra Club members and supporters, persuading voters, and getting out the vote. And our Executive Director Michael Brune went on a GOTV tour to races across the country to help maximize our impact in the final days of the campaign.
More than half of the races supported by Victory Corps organizers won their races this year, including 63% of Senate races and 57% of state legislature races, which were part of a statehouse-focused pilot program for 2016. Organizers made lasting connections with newly elected officials, campaign staff, and other grasstop leaders. In any close election, the field is what makes a difference. In the 13 Victory Corps races that were decided by four points or less, the Sierra Club won 10 of these, proving once again that an engaged Sierra Club field operation can make the difference in a race.
An Election-Defining Issue: Trump vs. the World.
In June, after Trump had effectively secured the Republican nomination, the Sierra Club released a comprehensively researched report demonstrating that, if elected, he would be the only world leader to deny the science and dangers of climate change. In fact, a full review of the data shows that Trump would very likely be the only world leader not calling for urgent climate action.
The list of nations with leaders recognizing the scientific consensus ranges from America’s closest allies like Canada, Israel and Japan, to the largest carbon emitters like India, China and Brazil, to countries as varied as Somalia, Mexico and Malaysia.
The report was an immediate success, making headlines across the nation after being picked up by the Associated Press and generating significant additional coverage in outlets like The Guardian and USA Today.
In order to make the case and the stakes clear to millennial voters who prioritize climate action, the Sierra Club crafted, launched and promoted a series of videos targeted at this key demographic in the top swing states around the country.
Video 1:Watch Trump’s head slowly melt while denying climate science
In which an ice sculpture of Trump’s head slowly melts to audio of his climate science denial.
Video 2:Kids read Trump’s tweets and their reactions are everything
In which kids read Trump’s climate change tweets -- and their reactions are definitely everything.
Video 3:Even Cats are Hissed at Donald Trump
Cats react to the same stuff--and it’s even funnier.
Video 4:Donald Trump is the scariest thing this Halloween
What’s scarier? A haunted house or a planet heated out of control? Find out!
Video 5:See what happens when people read Trump tweets on helium
You too can blow hot air like Trump with a couple of balloons and some lies about climate change.
Mobilizing Communities of Color:
Sierra Club President Aaron Mair made that case crystal clear in an ad the Sierra Club Political Committee released in swing states just before the election. The ad was promoted on social media throughout the final stretch of the election in key states including Nevada, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Michigan, and Illinois.
And, President Mair took his message to some of those states in person, too.
On a swing through southern states the weekend before the election, Sierra Club President Aaron Mair and Sierra Club staffer Larry Williams, Jr. spoke to about 8,000 African-American voters at a concert featuring hip-hop artists Gucci Mane, T.I., Pusha T, and Rick Ross in Miami. Following the old axiom to go where the people are, President Mair met with young African American voters in Raleigh, North Carolina just days before the election on the campuses of the Historically Black Colleges of St. Augustine and Shaw University. There, he heard and addressed their frustration with policies of disenfranchisement and their fears that our political process is rigged against them.
At the same time, Sierra Club Independent Action and For Our Future launched a joint campaign to mobilize African-American voters in Pennsylvania in the final week leading up to Election Day. The six-figure campaign focused on reaching Philadelphia area voters with messages supporting Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Senate candidate Katie McGinty as the best choices this election on critical issues like climate change and criminal justice reform.
The targeted campaign effort reached Philadelphia area voters starting October 28 through Election Day. In addition to information on candidates, the effort reached nearly 300,000 voters with information on how to locate polling places and make a plan to vote.
In his misguided effort to woo communities of color, Trump often posed the question, “What Do you Have to Lose?” The Sierra Club helped answer that question by helping release a powerful new music video. Created by artists Gabriel ‘Asheru’ Benn, Wayna, Roddy Rod of The Philosopher’s Stone, and Wyatt Closs of Big Bowl of Ideas -- and filmed on the steps of the Trump Hotel in Washington, D.C. -- the video was widely shared on social media networks and amplified by celebrities like Russell Simmons, sending a message about the importance of mobilizing this election for environmental justice, economic justice, and social justice.
Key Senate Race Advertisements:
In key Senate races around the country, the Sierra Club engaged heavily to help elect climate champions and defeat climate disasters. And, where we engaged the most, we won.
Nevada:
In Nevada, we worked alongside other leading environmental groups to make the case for Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto against GOP Rep. Joe Heck. In specific, we joined with LCV Victory Fund and EDF Action in announcing a $1.85 million English and Spanish ad campaign in the Nevada Senate race, detailing Rep. Heck’s climate science denialism and opposition to solar, which risks Nevadans’ jobs.
Separately, Sierra Club Independent Action (SCIA) launched Spanish-language radio ads on two major Las Vegas radio stations in an effort to enhance Latino GOTV efforts for Cortez Masto. The candidate defeated Rep. Heck.
New Hampshire:
In New Hampshire, the Sierra Club launched a six-figure statewide digital ad buy targeting millennial voters. The ad - “Campaign Lifehacks with Kelly Ayotte” - focused on the half million dollars in oil and gas company cash which Sen. Kelly Ayotte has taken for her campaign while voting against climate action and for big oil tax breaks. The ad ran for two weeks through Election Day on digital channels across New Hampshire. Club-endorsed Gov. Maggie Hassan defeated Sen. Ayotte.
Taking it to the States
The Sierra Club engaged its members around the country to get out and vote in some of the key federal and state races where there were important opportunities to help create climate action majority state legislatures and send climate champions to Washington, D.C.
State-level advocacy was crucial in Colorado, Illinois and Nevada, while we aggressively reached out to our members in key federal races in New Hampshire, North Carolina, and elsewhere.
There were many other victories that we won’t let be buried in the aftermath of election night. In North Carolina, Democrat Attorney General Roy Cooper is leading Republican Gov. Pat McCrory in the gubernatorial race. Sierra Club-endorsed Michael Morga won the North Carolina Supreme Court race, giving Democrats a 4-3 edge on the court. Club-endorsed Josh Stein was elected North Carolina’s Attorney General as well, which bodes well for Clean Power Plan progress in the state.
In Nevada, aside from aiding in the big win by Cortez Masto, the Sierra Club helped flip both the state senate and state house. In California, the Sierra Club helped elect Eloise Reyes to the California Assembly (AD-47). Big Oil and Gas interests poured more than $2 million into this race to back the incumbent, Cheryl Brown, who was defeated. In Colorado, Sierra Club efforts helped Democrats pick up two seats in the state senate. Pro-environmental Democrats also took back the New Mexico state house. And in Mississippi, Jim Kitchens was re-elected to state Supreme Court despite being targeted by the Chamber of Congress.
And in Florida, the Sierra Club helped defeat Amendment 1, a scam solar initiative. Polluter-backed utility giants tried to trick Floridians into backing Amendment 1 -- their plan to choke off residential solar power under the guise of "helping" solar failed. Sierra Club executive Director Michael Brune went to Florida to recruit volunteers to help inform voters of the scam.
No matter the results, the Sierra Club is deeply proud of our work this election and - most importantly - our volunteers and staff who put their time and resources on the line to stand up for clean air, clean water, clean energy, environmental justice and climate action. We’re not licking our wounds after this fight - we’re getting ready for the fights to come with more energy than ever.