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A new report from the Center for Western Priorities shows that public lands and natural resources proved to be issues that gave candidates an edge in 2024. The report, "Winning the West," combines results from polling of Western voters with analysis of key U.S. senate and congressional races in Western states. The report finds that, despite an election cycle dominated by rhetoric focused on issues such as inflation and immigration, public lands still broke through in Western races.
Since the 2016 election cycle, the Center for Western Priorities' Winning the West polls have identified a strong and growing bloc of "Outdoor Voters" who consistently support public lands and say that conservation issues are essential in deciding how they vote. In the most recent polling, 87 percent of Western voters say that a candidate's support for conservation plays an influential role in how they choose to cast their ballots, and 71 percent say that they are more likely to support a candidate who prioritizes protecting public lands from mining and drilling.
"As a cherished and assumed aspect of life in the West, public lands have the ability to transcend political boundaries," Center for Western Priorities Executive Director Jennifer Rokala writes in the report. "The issues of public lands, water resources, and climate action continue to resonate with a significant portion of Western voters across the political spectrum."
To learn more, visit the Winning the West website to see polling results and read the report.
Burgum's secretarial orders make poor first impression
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum's first secretarial orders, signed on Monday, drew swift and strong criticism from conservation advocates for their wide-ranging attacks on public lands, including a directive to review and potentially revise national monuments. "The last time Trump attempted to shrink national monuments, his efforts were met with near-universal condemnation," Center for Western Priorities Executive Director Jennifer Rokala said in a statement. "They should stop now, before they upset millions of Westerners by illegally reducing or eliminating national monuments."
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First impressions don’t get much worse than this. Hiding the ball on a review of national monuments shows the White House and Interior know full well how unpopular these actions are.”
