John,

I have incredibly big news to share with you: OLCV has endorsed Speaker Tina Kotek to be Oregon’s next governor! We are proud to give our first 2022 endorsement to Tina. She’s exactly the leader we need now to protect our clean air and water, and to address the climate crisis with the level of urgency necessary. We don’t have time for on-the-job-learning, and Tina is ready to lead on day one.

I have known Tina for ten years, and I have seen her leadership and commitment to protecting our environment--and especially our climate--make the difference between victory and failure. She’s often been behind the scenes, not looking for credit, but achieving real progress for all of us. Her track record on climate action and her incredible leadership skills have helped achieve every one of the biggest environmental and climate wins over the last seven plus years.

In 2015, Tina earned OLCV’s “Defender of the Year” award for continuously holding the line against anti-environment rollbacks and refusing to compromise her values. In 2017, she protected Oregon’s successful Clean Fuels Program, which reduces toxic air pollution from cars and trucks, against Republicans’ attempts to roll it back.

In 2019, we saw Republicans stop at almost nothing to kill significant climate action (the Clean Energy Jobs bill). The Oregon House, led by Speaker Tina Kotek, passed the bill. We remember what happened next – the Senate Republicans walked out and the Senate ultimately gave in to Republicans’ demands to kill the bill. In 2020, when the House Republicans walked out to kill climate action, Tina didn’t give in. She held strong, unwavering in her belief that we must act on climate now. If the House had given in to Republicans, significant climate action would have been near impossible in Oregon. Instead, we have one of the strongest executive orders on climate and just passed a bill for 100% clean electricity by 2040.

Tina is a proven fighter. She’s a climate champion driven by core values of justice, opportunity for all, and a better future for our kids. She’s an advocate at heart and a leader who brings people together to solve our toughest problems. Tina has been tested, and she’s delivered. I am personally proud to support her – for who she is as a leader and as a person.

I hope you will join OLCV in helping elect Tina Kotek as our next governor. It’s going to be a tough race, but with your help we can do it. Can you chip in $35, $50, or $100 today to OLCV’s PAC (your donation may be eligible for Oregon’s Political Tax Credit)? The 2022 elections are going to be pivotal, and OLCV will be working hard to elect climate champions like Tina Kotek up and down the ballot.

Thank you for all you do.

Doug Moore, Executive Director OLCV

P.S. Two of OLCV’s interns asked candidates for governor to record a video answering why they are the best candidate to protect our climate future. You can watch Speaker Tina Kotek’s video here.