Friend,

This election was historic, and you played a big part in that victory. Not only did voters oust the most anti-environment president in history, they also elected exciting new members of Congress who will join our climate and environmental champions in the House of Representatives and the Senate.

LCV played a major role — from registering voters and protecting the right to vote to endorsing and supporting pro-environment candidates up and down the ballot and fighting to defeat anti-environment candidates.

This election cycle, LCV Action Fund endorsed candidates in 178 federal races across the nation — 40% of whom are people of color and 52% are women — making this year's endorsements the most diverse to date and more reflective of our country's racial and gender diversity.

That's why we've compiled LCV's 2020 New Member Guide, which gives a snapshot of the candidates LCVAF supported this cycle. The Guide includes three new Senators and 10 new Members of the House, who are joining a Congress that includes more women, LGBTQ people, and people of color and better reflects the diversity of our country, building upon the precedent-shattering class of 2018.

Let's meet the New Member Guide class of the 117th Congress!

In a year where Republicans held a major incumbent advantage, LCVAF-endorsed candidates won critical races. Senators-elect Capt. Mark Kelly and Gov. John Hickenlooper defeated two members of LCV Victory Fund's Dirty Dozen in Arizona and Colorado respectively, and will join Senator-elect Ben Ray Luj?n after he won the open seat in New Mexico. From championing clean energy legislation in the U.S. House, to advancing from the Colorado governor's office, or literally seeing the impacts of climate change from space, we know they'll hit the ground fighting for climate action in the U.S. Senate.

As of November 20, the pro-environment House majority will add 10 exciting new members to its ranks, from New York to New Mexico to Georgia to Hawaii. One of whom is Kai Kahele, who served as the executive director of Pa'a Pono Miloli'I, a nonprofit that preserves and protects Miloli'i, the last Hawaiian fishing village in the state. Another is Teresa Leger Fernandez, who spent her career fighting to prevent toxic coal mine operations, protect clean water, and safeguard the voting rights of New Mexico's Indigenous communities.

The New York delegation is welcoming a trio of new members, including Representatives-elect Mondaire Jones and Ritchie Tores, who make history by becoming the first LGBTQ Black men to be elected to Congress. They're joined by former school principal and advocate Jamaal Bowman, and together all three bring experience advocating for sustainable public housing, equitable education reform, and racial and economic justice.

Women candidates were instrumental in helping protect the pro-environment House majority, and nowhere in the country was that more evident than the South. Historic wins include Representatives-elect Nikema Williams and Carolyn Bourdeaux in Georgia along with Deborah Ross and Kathy Manning in North Carolina, who are joined by Marie Newman in Illinois and Teresa Leger Fernandez in New Mexico. This group is an absolute powerhouse — Williams is the first Black woman to lead the Georgia Democratic Party, Bordeaux is a professor and academic policy expert, Newman is a small business owner and advocate, Manning is lawyer and charitable organization founder, Leger Fernandez is a tireless environmental justice champion and community advocate, and Ross is a dedicated legislator and public servant.

This incoming class is sure to make The People's House even stronger and we can't wait to see what they accomplish. Check out the full 2020 New Member Guide and learn more about the exciting new members of the Class of 2021!

Onward,

Davis Bates
Congressional Champions Project Director
League of Conservation Voters