Today we’re launching a slate of 15 down ballot green new deal candidates for this fall’s general election — help bring their races to the finish line by donating today!

Down ballot elections are coming up quickly this November — and we have a chance to elect transformational leaders to local offices across the country where they will be able to lead on stopping fossil fuels and building a Green New Deal from the ground up.

On this slate, there are opportunities to stop fossil fuel exports at some of the country’s largest ports, jumpstart the efforts to elect climate mayors to major cities, and win progressive majorities on city councils and public power boards that will stop dirty power plants.

We’re launching this slate with our friends at Data for Progress, and previous slates have helped raised thousands of dollars per candidate, which in a local race can have a huge impact. Thank you for donating today – your support goes a long way in helping fight to enact Green New Deals down ballot across the county, and push back against the fossil fuel industry where we know we need to. Check out more on each of the climate champions we’re supporting below!

CANDIDATES

WA – Toshiko Hasegawa & Hamdi Mohamed for the Port of Seattle

Washington’s Ports have historically been used as a launchpad for Arctic oil drilling and the export of fracked gas. With an estimated half of all maritime emissions coming from ships anchored in ports, there is huge potential for WA’s progressive port cities to exemplify how to rapidly decarbonize the industry:

The Port of Seattle is one of the biggest polluters in Washington State and Toshiko Hasegawa and Hamdi Mohamed have a bold plan to clean it up with a “Blue New Deal” that will support the environment and workers. The Port has previously allowed fossil fuel companies to use it as their base for exploring drilling in the Arctic, but Hasegawa and Mohamed (both backed by Bernie Sanders and Pramila Jayapal) are committed to no new fossil fuels in the Port, and instead electrifying the Port which would create a new standard to clean up the dirty shipping industry.

WA – Elizabeth Pew & Mary Bacon for the Port of Tacoma

Since 2014, local climate activists and the Puyallup Tribe have fought back against the permitting of the Tacoma LNG Facility, a fracked gas refinery and storage facility that goes against the state and city’s climate commitments. Port Commission candidates Elizabeth Pew and Mary Bacon are running to demand stronger environmental review of the LNG fracked gas facility and to fight for decarbonization of the port at large.

VA – Joshua Cole & Debra Gardner for Virginia State House

The biggest state legislative elections this year are in Virginia, where progressives are looking to protect and expand their majorities. Two of the closest elections are likely to be Joshua Cole (a champion of the Green New Deal, local pipeline fights, and regulating Dominion Energy) and Debra Gardner (a first-time candidate who is running on green jobs in a flippable district). Democrats need to protect and expand on their majority in order to rein in Dominion Energy, which is a dirty utility and political juggernaut.

MA – Michelle Wu for Boston Mayor

Perhaps the biggest champion for the Green New Deal this cycle is Michelle Wu who is running to be mayor of Boston. Her 49-page plan is comprehensive, but it centers around providing free public transportation for all, reaching 100% clean electricity by 2035, and incorporating environmental justice considerations into all planning and zoning. And she’s backed by heavyweights like Senator Elizabeth Warren, Bill McKibben, and Sunrise Boston.

MA – Tracy Valletti for Peabody Municipal Light Commission and Tanya Lobo for Taunton City Council

Two local races backed by the Environmental League of Massachusetts this year have major ramifications for the state’s transition away from fossil fuels. Taunton’s City Council manages the state’s largest municipal utility (at 14% of the state’s total energy use) and needs a clean energy champion like Tanya Lobo in office to help advocate for a continued switch to renewables. In Peabody, the city’s Light Commission is replacing an old gas plant with a new natural gas “peaker” plant that Tracy Valletti is running to help block it.

OH – Justin Bibb for Cleveland Mayor

In the last year, First Energy, a dirty utility, has been at the heart of political corruption in Ohio. Justin Bibb is the only candidate running for mayor of Cleveland with a pledge to not receive any contributions from First Energy and it’s associates, and he’s committed that on his first day of office he will instruct Cleveland Public Power to start transitioning off of dirty coal power.

OH – Reggie Harris & Michelle Dillinngham for Cincinnati City Council

It’s a very unique year in Cincinnati where, due to a string of scandal-related resignations, the city will vote for an almost entirely new city council. Climate groups like Ohio Environmental Council are jumping on this chance to elect a slate of progressive climate champions who will expedite the city’s carbon reduction plans, build new public transit, and implement measures ensuring environmental justice. We’re excited to support Reggie Harris and Michelle Dillingham, two local leaders with a strong history of working with local organizations, and strong plans to fight for environmental justice and climate jobs.

KS – Ma’Ko’Quah Abigail Jones for Lawrence City Commission

Ma’Ko’Quah Abigail Jones is the chair of the Native Caucus of the Kansas Democratic Party, and now she’s running for Lawrence City Commission to bring her environmental advocacy to City Hall. As a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, and chair of the city’s sustainability committee, she plans to be a decisive vote in favor of a number of Green New Deal proposals that would fund green jobs and infrastructure. She graduated from Vermont Law School and has been using her legal expertise to reform the legal system to better protect women and the homeless.

MN – Azrin Awal & Mike Mayou for Duluth City Council

Duluth is the fourth largest city in Minnesota, and Mike Mayou and Azrin Awhal are running for Duluth City Council to make it one of the greenest, with plans to expedite the city’s move to clean energy and proposals to require new buildings to not use gas as a primary source of heat. Both have also won the support of Duluth for Clean Water with their pledge to oppose a proposed mine which threatened Duluth’s drinking water.

MI – Abdullah Hammoud for Dearborn Mayor

Abdullah Hammoud has been a progressive climate champion in the Michigan legislature, and now he’s running to be mayor of Dearborn. During his 5-years in state office, Hammond led the votes to shut down a controversial oil pipeline (Line 5), consistently voted for urgent climate action, and helped rescind regressive caps on affordable rooftop solar – bucking powerful special-interest lobbying like DTE and Consumers Energy. After winning the primary, he’s running for Mayor on a plan to increase the city’s green jobs and resilient infrastructure as Michigan experiences record climate-induced flooding.