Environmentalists hoping to drive climate advocates to the polls this fall say Kamala Harris’ ascendancy makes their job a lot easier.
National environmental groups and influential players in the climate policy world continue to throw their support behind Vice President Harris’ White House bid, including some green groups who had not previously endorsed President Joe Biden’s reelection bid.
Across the board, leaders from green groups ranging from big national organizations to members of the movement’s left flank cite a surge of enthusiasm and excitement for Harris’ candidacy. That’s based in part on Harris’ record on climate — although she hasn’t yet released details of her White House climate vision — and in part on a sense that she’s better positioned politically to beat former President Donald Trump in November.
“The excitement level is far greater now, and we are all in on getting her elected,” said Brett Hartl, national political director for the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund. “There was more ambivalence about Biden, so I think we and other groups are going to be putting in a lot more resources and energy now.”
