Hi friend,

I wanted to give you an update on where things stand the day after the midterm election.

While most results federally and statewide are too close to call, there is some good news and bad news we can already share. Statewide environmental champions like Senator Alex Padilla have cruised to sizable wins. On the other hand, Prop 30’s defeat is a devastating loss for all Californians.

It could be days or weeks before we have a truly accurate sense of how everything turned out. Expanding the vote with mail ballots has changed the length of time it takes to get definitive results.

So take a deep breath. We have to remain patient and take the time to count every vote. Let’s be careful not to jump to conclusions. I know the waiting process is hard, but this is democracy at work.

Here’s what we know:

Environmental voters in California showed up big. Although we and our allies were massively outspent — as we saw oil spending more than $6.5 million in the final weeks alone — in our toughest head-to-head races against industry-backed candidates, all of our priority races are too close to call. Even being outspent, we’re still in this. It proves that voters share a deep concern about climate when making a choice between candidates, especially between Democratic candidates.

Up against big odds, our climate justice candidates are performing extremely well in early returns. That is significant. Win or lose — and so many of these races are razor thin and won’t be decided for days or weeks — our movement is a force to be reckoned with.

Pro-environment candidates swept statewide seats in California. We’re so excited to see victories from our endorsed candidates, like Malia Cohen as Controller, Tony Thurmond as Superintendent of Public Instruction, Shirley Weber as Secretary of State, Eleni Kounalakis as Lieutenant Governor, Rob Bonta as Attorney General, and of course Alex Padilla, our big climate champion in the US Senate.

Prop 30’s defeat stings. Proposition 30’s defeat is a devastating loss for all Californians, especially those in low-income communities who are on the frontlines of pollution, extreme heat, catastrophic fires, and drought. It's heartbreaking that our coalition of climate, clean air, worker’s rights, firefighters, and public health advocates were defeated by a record number of billionaires deceiving and confusing voters. Despite a strong year for climate legislation, the huge question now moving forward is how the state will pay for the massive climate investments needed in our infrastructure and landscapes.

But this was the right fight. We went after the two biggest sources of pollution in an equitable way. All the work we did building power, forging partnerships, and educating the public will go a long way toward creating change in the future. And we’re not giving up. We will continue to fight for clean air and the resources we need to ensure an equitable clean energy transition.

Here’s what you can expect:

The fate of the House of Representatives runs through the Golden State. Control will be determined by several races here that are currently too close to call, including many of our priority races.

Because ballots only need to be postmarked by Election Day in California, many ballots are not counted until after Election Day. Some haven’t even been received by officials yet. This makes calling races more difficult because it’s unclear how many ballots for any given race are still pending.

So buckle up, friend: It could be a couple weeks before knowing who has Congressional control or just how many of our climate champions won State Senate and Assembly seats.

What we know today is that California continues to be critical in our national fight for change because of the power of environmental voters.

Thank you. Thank you to our EnviroVoters staff, board, and community. That’s you, friend. Every call and text you made, dollar you donated, door you knocked, and of course vote you cast drove our mission for climate justice this cycle. We pick the toughest battles at the core of fighting the climate crisis equitably and with this team behind us we are making an impact together.

Let’s count all the votes.

Stay tuned.

Mary Creasman
Chief Executive Officer
California Environmental Voters
(formerly CLCV)

California Environmental Voters
350 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Suite 1100
Oakland, CA 94612
United States
15102710900 | [email protected]

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California Environmental Voters (EnviroVoters), formerly California League of Conservation Voters, exists to build the political power to solve the climate crisis, advance justice, and create a roadmap for global action. To protect our air, land, water, and future, we organize voters, elect and train candidates, and hold lawmakers accountable for bold policy change. Our vision is to solve the climate crisis, build resilient, connected, healthy communities, and create a democracy and economy that is just and sustainable for all.

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