Climate Slate in Leadership Roles

Climate Cabinet understands that investing in downballot races is incredibly important. Not only can we begin to make real progress towards addressing the climate crisis, but we also build a stronger bench for the future. We’re not just electing climate champions today, we’re electing the next generation of diverse leadership. 

Climate Slate candidates are always looking for ways to lead in their communities whether it's supporting clean air & water, creating good-paying clean energy jobs, or addressing environmental injustice. In celebration of the amazing work our candidates do in either flipping their legislative chambers or making inroads, we wanted to highlight 3 Climate Slate champions who will be using their power in leadership to advocate for bold climate policies that will help working families.

These are candidates who have been recognized by their peers and asked to step into formal leadership roles within their caucus — where they will help set the legislative agenda and drive change:

• Rep. Andres Cano is a sixth generation Tucsonan and currently Arizona’s youngest LGBT lawmaker. He was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2018 and has since served as the Ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Natural Resources, Energy, & Water where he has been a fierce advocate for climate protections and clean energy. Andres was elected to head the Democratic caucus in the Arizona state House of Representatives for this next legislative session.
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• Rep. Athena Hollins grew up in Hawaii and is the only Black LGBT representative in the Minnesota House. She received her law degree from the University of St. Thomas where she developed a reputation for being a strong activist and organizer. In her time in the legislature, Athena has focused on upgrading residential electrical panels, electrifying school buses, and energy storage systems installment. She has been elected to the role of Majority Whip.
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• Senator Darrin Camilleri will serve as Assistant Majority Leader for the Michigan State Senate. He will be the highest-ranking Latino and first-ever Maltese-American to hold a leadership position in the Senate. Before entering office, he worked as a high school social studies teacher and ran in a difficult year for Democrats. Darrin won his primary by 153 votes and general election by 323 votes. In his time in the state house, he worked on the Energy Policy Committee where he developed a strong track record as a climate champion.
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Tackling the climate crisis means building long-term sustainable power for the climate movement and empowering a new generation of candidates to run, win, and legislate. These leaders are working to make real tangible climate policies a reality and we are all better off for their public service.
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You can support Climate Cabinet Action’s endorsed state and local candidates at climateslate.com.