Climate Cabinet Action began as a volunteer-based team in 2018, when a Texas state legislature candidate asked for climate talking points and policy solutions that were relevant to her district. We realized that this need was not unique: many candidates want to run on strong climate platforms but don’t have the time to simultaneously run a full-time campaign and do cutting-edge policy analysis. Thus, Climate Cabinet Action was born.
Climate Cabinet Action has supported candidates and pushed climate on the campaign trail in three campaign cycles, including 2018 state legislature races, 2019 presidential primaries, and 2020 state and congressional races.
In 2020, we worked with 100 campaigns. On average, these campaigns more than doubled their climate-related social media engagement after our outreach.
Investing in a clean energy economy will create jobs and help our communities thrive.
Cleaning up our air means protecting our health - a fact which is more apparent than ever as we grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Communities of color are disproportionately burdened with the toxic facilities that power our society. We are working towards a clean, healthy future for everyone.
Americans are worried about climate change, and seeking out the most effective ways to take action. That’s why we researched and identified the top 40 “highest climate impact” state legislature races this election cycle:
The Climate Cabinet 40 includes the top 20 pro-climate incumbents that we need to protect, and 20 challengers that are running against some of America’s worst anti-climate legislators.
Explore the “Climate Cabinet 40” using the full list or the interactive map below.
Climate Cabinet Action has conducted two years of extensive research and aggregated data on state-level legislators and candidates to score and rank them on their climate voting track record. And now we've created a tool that lets you easily research candidates and take informed climate action.
Explore the “Climate Cabinet 40” using the full list or explore state by state through our interactive map.
The “Climate Cabinet Score” shows how often each incumbent legislator has voted in favor of good climate policy or against attacks. A Climate Cabinet Score of 100 means that every time a climate-related bill has come up for a vote, the legislator has always voted pro-climate. A Climate Cabinet Score of 0 means that the legislator has never voted pro-climate. These scores were compiled using the latest available state legislative scorecard from leading environmental groups in each state. Each environmental bill is scored once, and each “climate” bill is given double weight.
The Climate Cabinet Rank is used to determine the most competitive climate races this cycle - to demonstrate where your dollars can go farthest to electing leaders committed to tackling climate change. Two factors go into the “Climate Cabinet Rank.” First, the Climate Cabinet Score is used to identify which incumbent legislators are “Best on Climate” (have a score of 100) and “Worst on Climate” (have a failing grade of anything below 50%). Next, the “Trump/Clinton Win Rate” is used to determine how vulnerable each incumbent legislator is. A high Climate Cabinet Rank highlights the highly vulnerable state legislators who are either “Best on Climate” (we need to keep them in office) or “Worst on Climate” (we need them out of office). A Climate Cabinet Rank of between 1 and 40 indicates that these are the 40 most competitive climate races this cycle. These “Top 40” candidates need your donations ASAP in order to pass legislation to solve the climate crisis.
The Trump/Clinton Win Rate shows the 2016 vote breakdown for each district. If a district has a “R+8%” rate, that means that Donald Trump won this district by 8%. Similarly, a “D+2%” rating shows that Hillary Clinton won this district by 2%. This helps determine how competitive the race is.
The “Race Status” field shows you how the race is currently rated. A “Tossup” score means that either candidate could easily win, whereas “Lean R” and “Lean D” indicates that the races are likely to fall in either category.
The “Votes” section gives you some examples of climate votes that each incumbent has taken - showing the highs and lows of each incumbent’s voting record.
Follow us on Medium as we dive into climate data and politics:
A Data Dive On How U.S. State Legislators Are Dealing With The Climate Crisis (Or Not)
“Dear Texas: We need state representatives who bring clean energy jobs to Texas — and tackle climate change at the same time. Three things have become clear: Texans are worried about climate change and want to see government action. Communities of color and low-income communities already bear the burden of environmental pollution — and will be hit hardest by a failure to solve the climate crisis. Climate solutions will revitalize our economy…”
“Three years after Hurricane Harvey, it’s past time Texas elects leaders who will take climate change seriously - and create good-paying jobs while doing it. Luckily, 10 of the worst climate voters in the Texas House are running in flippable districts. (Thread)”
Check out our recent news coverage:
"Hosts Katherine Gorman and James Lawler discuss how politicians can create climate campaigns and what role regional, state, and the federal governments play in advancing climate action."
"She's bringing climate to a political platform near you. Caroline Spears heard wildly divergent things about climate change while growing up in Houston. The confusion sparked her curiosity and led her to solar finance, where she soon recognized the enormous power that states wield over clean energy."
"Caroline Spears grew up in Houston, the oil and gas capital of the world. In 2018, a candidate running for election to the state legislature asked her for help talking with voters about climate action. Spears soon realized that many smaller, down-ballot campaigns needed that help..."
"Caroline Spears joins The Great Battlefield podcast to talk about her career fighting climate change and founding Climate Cabinet where they provide tech-enabled climate policy solutions to candidates across America."
"1400 applications. 100 interviews. 14 investments. Our 2020 portfolio is an investment in the future of the progressive movement. These outstanding leaders are developing infrastructure, building Black and Indigenous power, protecting our democracy, and transforming the local media landscape..."
"How do you elect political candidates who will make tackling climate change a priority? In this episode, we speak to two groups attempting to figure that out and put climate change at the center of races up and down the ballot. In 2018, Caroline Spears launched the Climate Cabinet Action Fund to offer bespoke climate data, policy ideas and messaging suggestions to candidates and lawmakers. The organization currently focuses on the state level, where races are low-budget but highly consequential..."
“As concern over climate change grows and high profile progressive political figures embrace ambitious ideas, candidates with limited resources and time are facing a new challenge: how to craft winning political messages tailored to their districts and backed by the most recent science, health and economic data…”
“Dear Texas: We need state representatives who bring clean energy jobs to Texas — and tackle climate change at the same time. Three things have become clear: Texans are worried about climate change and want to see government action. Communities of color and low-income communities already bear the burden of environmental pollution — and will be hit hardest by a failure to solve the climate crisis. Climate solutions will revitalize our economy…”
“Three years after Hurricane Harvey, it’s past time Texas elects leaders who will take climate change seriously - and create good-paying jobs while doing it. Luckily, 10 of the worst climate voters in the Texas House are running in flippable districts. (Thread)”
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Climate Cabinet Action is committed to helping candidates run, win, and legislate on the climate crisis.
Send us a message if you have questions about how we can support your campaign, are interested in volunteering, or want to learn more!
For press inquiries, contact: press@climatecabinet.org
