Here's our response.
Dear John,
Ron Johnson, the GOP's MAGA senator from Wisconsin, is up for reelection this year and is arguably the most likely Republican senator to lose.1 His race could tip the balance of control of the U.S. Senate.
Last year, Senator Johnson told a Republican luncheon that climate change is "bullsh*t."2 And Wisconsinites, like pretty much everyone else, know that the climate crisis is already impacting our country.
So with the election only weeks away, we wanted to make sure Johnson's constituents know about his climate change denial and votes against climate action.
Ron Johnson is dead wrong about climate change. We unveiled the sculpture as millions of Floridians were reeling from the impact of Hurricane Ian, and while hundreds of thousands were still without power in Puerto Rico from the previous hurricane to hit. These types of storms will just continue to get stronger and more deadly in a warming world. Wisconsin has also seen deadly heat waves and damaging floods from a supercharged climate in the past year.
Unfortunately, Johnson's climate change denial is par for the course with congressional Republicans. There are approximately 139 climate change deniers in Congress—every single one of them is a Republican.3 It's a majority GOP view in both chambers of Congress, upheld by campaign contributions from fossil fuel companies who keep making climate change worse.4 That helps explain why zero Republicans voted for the Inflation Reduction Act, our biggest-yet climate action legislation.5 The contrast between Democrats and Republicans on climate change could not be more clear.
With climate change denial so widespread in the GOP, and with Johnson wrong on so many issues, it's hard to break through the noise and focus attention on what politicians actually say and think. That's where the "scatue" comes in. By presenting a year-old clip in a new light, we were able to focus media in Wisconsin and beyond on Johnson's extremist views, reminding voters how far out of step he is with them only weeks from Election Day. Take a look at some of the coverage we garnered:
This election is about Us vs. MAGA. From banning abortions to turning the clock back on the climate action that President Biden has initiated, the MAGA GOP agenda is an attack on our freedoms—particularly for communities of color, queer people, and people seeking abortions. But together we can defeat politicians like Ron Johnson and keep control of the U.S. Senate from turning over to them.
Thanks for all you do.
–Alexis, Durrel, Kelsey, Sana, and the rest of the team
Sources:
2. "Ron Johnson: Climate change is 'bullsh–,'" The Hill, July 7, 2021
3. "Climate Deniers in the 117th Congress," Center for American Progress, March 30, 2021
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