Washington, DC – Today, LCV Victory Fund’s state affiliates announced the 2024 Dirty Dozen in the States. Modeled after LCV Victory Fund’s federal Dirty Dozen, the Dirty Dozen in the States highlights 12 of the worst candidates in the nation at the state and local level. Members of the Dirty Dozen in the States have consistently sided against the environment and are a danger to our democracy. These candidates are chosen regardless of party affiliation and are running in races prioritized by LCV state affiliates in the Conservation Voter Movement. 

This year’s Dirty Dozen in the States (more details on each candidate below):

• North Carolina candidate for Governor – Mark Robinson
• Oregon Secretary of State candidate – Dennis Linthicum
• Washington Public Lands Commissioner candidate – Jaime Herrera Beutler
• Arizona Corporation Commission candidate – Rachel Walden
• Garfield County, CO Commissioner –  Mike Samson
• Montana Public Service Commissioner – Jennifer Fielder
• Arizona Legislative District 17 Senate candidate – Vince Leach
• California Assembly District 50 candidate – Adam Perez
• Georgia State Senator District 48 – Shawn Still
• Maine State Representative District 37 – Reagan Paul
• Pennsylvania State Representative District 160 – Craig Williams
• Wisconsin State Senator District 8 – Duey Stroebel

“Over the next four years, state and local leaders will make crucial decisions for our clean energy, climate, and our environment,” said Eva Estrada, LCV Victory Fund Campaigns Director. “Today, thanks to state leadership, 40% of the country lives in a place dedicated to 100% clean energy. State and local leaders will be vital to continue implementing the Biden-Harris Administration’s clean energy plan that has already resulted in billions more for climate action, lower costs, and hundreds of thousands of good paying jobs. Voters need to elect leaders from the governor’s mansion to county boards who are ready to be environmental champions instead of this Dirty Dozen, who want to take us backward.”

“We know free and fair elections don’t happen without dedicated state and local leaders who understand what’s at stake,” said Nate Fowler, LCV Victory Fund Regional Campaigns Director. “We cannot have a healthy environment without a healthy democracy and candidates like those on this year’s Dirty Dozen want to drag us backwards. But LCV Victory Fund, our state partners, and millions of voters across the country won’t let them.”

See more information on why each candidate was nominated below:

Statewide executive offices

North Carolina – Mark Robinson, Governor (Nominated by Conservation Votes PAC) Mark Robinson is the most extreme gubernatorial candidate in the country and currently embroiled in just the latest scandal over horrific comments he has reportedly made in the past. While these alone are outrageous enough to be disqualifying, he has also called for removing science from elementary schools, passing a complete ban on abortion, and setting up a taskforce to investigate public schools “indoctrination”. He adamantly denies climate change as “junk science” and continuously pushes conspiracy theories about clean energy. Despite all this he’s still being propped up by funding from petrochemical giant Charles Koch. His opponent, Josh Stein, has made clean air and water and protecting state public lands a signature campaign priority.

Oregon – Dennis Linthicum, Secretary of State (Nominated by Oregon League of Conservation Voters PAC) Since Dennis Linthicum came into office in 2017, he has been one of, if not the state’s strongest opponent of pro-environment and pro-democracy policy. He has a lifetime 0% on OLCV’s scorecard and was one of the architects of the Republican walkouts that killed votes on climate initiatives and threw the state government into chaos. The office oversees elections but also sits on the board that oversees state owned lands which he and his allies have tried to open to development and clear cutting. 

Washington – Jaime Herrera Beutler, Public Lands Commissioner (Nominated by Washington Conservation Action Votes) Jaime Herrera Beutler has a lifetime 14% LCV score and has been called “highly skeptical of setting aside more state forestland for conservation”. The state’s major corporate timber companies tried to rig the primary with two republican candidates but Dave Upthegrove made it through by 53 votes. Corporate and pro-polluter interests have already flocked to Herrera Beutler and are expected to back her fully so she’ll continue to prioritize their profits over protecting public lands for everyone in the state.

Commissions

Arizona – Rachel Walden, Arizona Corporation Commission (Nominated by Chispa AZ PAC) Rachel Walden has come out as a vocal opponent of clean energy and praised the commissioners who’ve continually raised rates on customers. She’s spoken out against renewable energy standards, and wants to build new polluting fossil fuel plants. She is backed by the state’s utilities who have staunchly opposed reform. If Walden and her allies win, the commission could be controlled entirely by extreme anti-clean energy commissioners.

Colorado – Mike Samson, Garfield County Commission (Nominated by Conservation Colorado Victory Fund) Through Mike Samson’s 16-year career as a County Commissioner, Garfield County’s environmental record has become dominated by one thing: greenlighting anything the oil and gas industry wants. Commissioners have not only lobbied against common-sense protections to rein in major polluters, they used taxpayer dollars to do it. This has all gravely impacted local low income residents and threatened the area’s health and drinking water. In an exciting development, he finally has a viable challenger. Steven Arauza is a scientist, labor leader, and Conservation Colorado volunteer who works in oil and gas regulation and remediation. He’s outraising Samson and the race is widely viewed as neck and neck. 

Montana – Jennifer Fielder, Public Service Commission (Nominated by Montana Conservation Voters Action Fund) Jennifer Fielder has been a constant opponent of clean energy, opportunities to lower costs for customers, and has long advocated for taking away federal protections for Montana public lands. In the state legislature, she earned an abysmal lifetime score of 16% in Montana Conservation Voters’ legislative scorecard – even earning a spot on their “Dishonor Roll.” She has dangerous connections to extremist White Supremacist groups, election-deniers, and January 6th insurrectionists. 

State Legislatures

Arizona – Vince Leach, Arizona Legislative District 17 (Nominated by Chispa AZ PAC) Former state legislator Vince Leach was a clear opponent of clean energy during his last stint in office (2014-2018). He introduced bills written by state utilities to limit their own financial liability, consistently attacked clean energy, and attended the state’s infamous “stop the steal rally” in 2020. Legislative District 17 is one of the state’s most competitive senate districts that could determine the balance of the chamber. Leach’s opponent, John McLean, is focused on protecting Arizona’s water resources for future generations, volunteers with public lands groups, and is dedicated to the clean energy transition. 

California – Adam Perez, California Assembly District 50 (Nominated by California Environmental Voters Independent Expenditure Committee) Adam Perez is running for a critical swing seat that has become a flashpoint between Big Oil and those that care about climate change and clean energy. The oil and gas industry has already backed him with $1 million in the March primary. The oil industry has a long history of donating to a faction of state Democrats to try to stymie climate progress in California. This seat is crucial to stemming their power, sending the message that they cannot buy legislative support from either party. 

Georgia – Shawn Still, State Senate District 48 (Nominated by Georgia Conservation Voters Action Fund) Shawn Still is an ardent election denier who was indicted last year alongside former President Donald Trump for allegedly trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election. He has one of the lowest environmental scores in the state legislature. On the other hand, his opponent is 24 year old Ashwin Ramaswami, who spent the last three years working for the federal government to protect elections from hackers and left his job to run against Still because he sees him as an even greater threat to our democracy.

Maine – Reagan Paul, State Representative District 37 (Nominated by Maine Conservation Voters Action Fund) Reagan Paul is one of the most vocal opponents of clean energy in the state. She has stalled several projects in the legislature and has called for eliminating the state’s renewable portfolio standard. Her opponent Scott Cuddy is a strong clean energy supporter and formerly worked with the Maine Labor Climate Council. This seat could determine the balance of power in the state and is critical to clean energy progress.

Pennsylvania – Craig Williams, State House District 160 (Nominated by Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania Victory Fund) Craig Williams has become an ardent environmental opponent receiving just a 17% environmental score from Conservation Voters of PA. Williams was an attorney with one of the state’s utilities and has voted to block Pennsylvania’s participation in Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and open up more state land to fracking. This seat could be the tipping point in deciding whether the Pennsylvania House has a pro-environment majority that will work to advance good policy on  behalf of the Keystone State.

Wisconsin – Duey Stroebel, Senate District 8 (Nominated by Wisconsin Conservation Voters Independent Expenditure Committee) Duey Stroebel  is one of the most extreme members of the Wisconsin State Senate. He’s authored a batch of bills that would make it harder for Wisconsinites to vote. He earned an 11% score on the Wisconsin Conservation Voters legislative scorecard from last session. Now with fairer maps for the first time in more than a decade, Duey will have to make his case to voters. This seat, like so many others that have become newly competitive in the general election, is on the path to flip in order to ensure Wisconsinites have a pro-environment and pro-democracy state government again.

The over 30 state Conservation Voter Movement partners worked to determine the 2024 “Dirty Dozen in the States.” The candidates named are some of the most anti-environment and anti-democracy politicians running in competitive state-level races from governor to city officials and everywhere in between.

The “Dirty Dozen in the States” is modeled after LCV Victory Fund’s “Dirty Dozen,” which has targeted candidates for federal office (with occasional exceptions)— regardless of party affiliation — who consistently side against the environment, and are running in races in which LCV Victory Fund has a serious chance to affect the outcome. 

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Paid for by LCV Victory Fund, www.lcvvictoryfund.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.