Washington, DC – Along with better-than-expected results for climate and democracy champions overall, and a clear Green Wave of victories at the state level, LCV Victory Fund’s signature Dirty Dozen program also had one of its most successful cycles ever – defeating nine of 11 candidates in called races (with the Georgia Senate runoff still outstanding).

For more than 25 years, the Dirty Dozen program has targeted candidates – 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. A full breakdown of each member of the 2022 Dirty Dozen’s record can be found here.

“This year’s Dirty Dozen included some of the most extreme climate and election denying candidates we have ever seen, and voters resoundingly rejected them,” said Pete Maysmith, SVP of Campaigns, LCV Victory Fund. “We knew this year would be an uphill climb because of a number of factors: historic precedent, high prices linked to the war in Ukraine and price gouging by fossil fuel executives, the pandemic, barriers to democracy such as partisan gerrymandering, voter suppression, intimidation, and rampant disinformation, as well as Big Oil dark money financing the other side to put polluters over people. In the face of these challenges, the wins we have are only more significant and underscore how out-of-step these candidates were with voters.”

Defeated Dirty Dozen members include:

• Blake Masters, AZ SEN, DEFEATED: LCV Victory Fund invested $4.4 million to re-elect Sen. Mark Kelly and defeat Dirty Dozen member Blake Masters. The spending included digital ads and mail highlighting Kelly’s support for lowering costs, creating clean energy jobs, and combating the climate crisis through the Inflation Reduction Act as part of the Climate Voters Mobilization campaign with Climate Power Action. LCVVF also opened 3 field offices, knocked on over 340,000 doors, and had 47,941 conversations with voters in Arizona in support of Sen. Kelly. Additionally, LCVVF supported Somos PAC’s field program to engage Latino voters in the AZ Senate race.
• Joe O’Dea, CO SEN, DEFEATED: LCV Victory Fund named O’Dea to the 2022 Dirty Dozen and invested $7.3 million on paid media in the Colorado Senate race supporting Senator Bennet. The spending included digital ads and direct mail as part of the Climate Voters Mobilization campaign with Climate Power Action and LCVVF ran multiple TV and digital ads in the race, including a digital ad highlighting Bennet’s work to get the first national monument of Biden’s presidency designated in Colorado, contrasted with O’Dea’s opposition to the CORE Act and support for expanding oil and gas drilling on public lands.
• George Logan, CT-05 DEFEATED: LCV Victory Fund named Rep. Jahana Hayes’ opponent George Logan to this year’s Dirty Dozen and invested $540,000 to defeat Logan and re-elect Rep. Hayes in CT-05. The spending included digital ads and mail highlighting Hayes’ support for lowering costs, creating clean energy jobs, and combating the climate crisis through the Inflation Reduction Act as part of the Climate Voters Mobilization program with Climate Power Action. LCVVF also ran TV ads highlighting Logan’s occupation as a utility company executive, his support for tax breaks for big corporations, and his opposition to clean energy policies that would improve energy security.
• Amanda Adkins, KS-03, DEFEATED: LCV Victory Fund named Rep. Sharice Davids’ opponent Amanda Adkins to the Dirty Dozen and invested nearly $700,000 to re-elect Rep. Davids over Adkins. The spending included digital ads and mail as part of the Climate Voters Mobilization program with Climate Power Action. In addition, LCV Victory Fund ran the ad, “Fits Right In,” on broadcast, cable, and OTT.
• Karoline Leavitt, NH-01, DEFEATED: In New Hampshire, LCV Victory Fund invested over $200,000 to re-elect Rep. Pappas (NH-01) and defeat Dirty Dozen member Karoline Leavitt,. The New Hampshire Senate race and both New Hampshire House races were part of the Climate Voters Mobilization program with Climate Power Action. LCVVF also ran a digital ad, “Dangerously Unfit,” in opposition to Karoline Leavitt in NH-01.
• Yvette Herrell, NM-02, DEFEATED: After failing in 2020, LCV Victory Fund again named Yvette Herrell to this year’s Dirty Dozen and invested over $660,000 to defeat her and elect Gabe Vasquez in NM-02. The spending included two tv ads, both of which also ran on YouTube, and five mail pieces.
• Adam Laxalt, NV SEN, DEFEATED: In Nevada, we invested $3.8 million to re-elect Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and defeat Dirty Dozen member Adam Laxalt, which included multiple ads including a negative ad, “Profits in the Tank.” LCVVF, in partnership with Nevada Conservation Leadership PAC, also opened 4 field offices, knocked on over 500,000 doors, and had 65,000 conversations with voters in Nevada in support of Sen. Cortez Masto. LCVVF also supported Somos PAC’s field program to engage Latino voters in the NV Senate race.
• Mehmet Oz, PA SEN, DEFEATED: In Pennsylvania, LCV Victory Fund invested $3 million to elect John Fetterman and defeat Dirty Dozen member Mehmet Oz. The Pennsylvania Senate race was part of the Climate Voters Mobilization program with Climate Power Action. We also ran an anti-Oz ad in the final week of the election. LCVVF, in partnership with Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania Victory Fund, opened 5 field offices, knocked on nearly 300,000 doors, and had close to 40,000 conversations with Pennsylvania voters in support of John Fetterman. LCVVF also supported API PA’s bilingual persuasion mail program in support of Fetterman, targeting historically undercontacted AAPI voters in their native language. Additionally, LCVVF supported BlackPAC’s PA field program to engage with Black voters in support of Fetterman.
• Tiffany Smiley, WA SEN, DEFEATED: LCV Victory Fund named Senator Murray’s opponent Tiffany Smiley to the 2022 Dirty Dozen in October due to her extreme anti-environment record. Smiley supported the Keystone XL Pipeline, as well as opening millions of acres in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Alaska to oil and gas drilling. She calls for expanding domestic natural gas production and oil refining capacity in her “Agenda for Energy and Environmental Recovery and Reform.” Smiley railed against the Inflation Reduction Act and said it was “not something to be celebrated.”

Outstanding Races:

• Herschel Walker, GA SEN, RUNOFF: LCV Victory Fund and partners are investing $2 million in the runoff and invested $1.8 million in the general election to defeat Dirty Dozen member Herschel Walker and re-elect Sen. Warnock. While the race is headed to a runoff, Warnock received more votes than Walker in the general election. The runoff spending includes a new ad targeted at climate voters and a major LCVVF-run field program in two new offices, in addition to Family Friendly Action PAC re-opening their office and field program with support from the New American Jobs Fund, a joint effort of LCV Victory Fund and the United Steelworkers (USW Works). The general election spending included digital ads and mail highlighting Warnock’s support for lowering costs, creating clean energy jobs, and combating the climate crisis through the Inflation Reduction Act as part of the Climate Voters Mobilization program with Climate Power Action. Also in Georgia, the New American Jobs Fund, a joint effort of LCV Victory Fund and the United Steelworkers (USW Works), was a major backer of Family Friendly Action PAC’s major field organizing effort in support of Sen. Warnock. Through this program, organizers knocked on nearly 220,000 doors and had conversations with 32,884 Georgians in the northern Atlanta suburbs.

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