Former LCV Head - 20 Years Back, About 20% Of Candidates They Endorsed Were GOP; In 2024, Zero

[hatrack]

When Gene Karpinski took over as the president of the League of Conservation Voters nearly two decades ago, 20 percent of the candidates the environmental lobbying and political powerhouse endorsed for federal office were Republicans. Last year, none were.

After almost 50 years as a top progressive advocate in Washington, Mr. Karpinski, 73, retired in the spring from his position leading the L.C.V., which is known for its voting scorecard that rates lawmakers on environmental policy. It was also once known for its record of bipartisanship in backing both Republicans and Democrats for office, a relative rarity for Washington interest groups.

EDIT

One of the interesting things about your group was that you were bipartisan — you endorsed candidates from both parties. Did that stay true through the end of your tenure?

When I first started, I would say about 20 percent of our endorsements at the federal level were Republicans. You needed to work both sides of the aisle to get things done. But that has shifted in the last bit of time, as the Republican Party, frankly, has become captured by the special interests, particularly the oil, gas and coal industries, and did their bidding. The environment was historically a bipartisan issue. You remember in 1990, the Clean Air Act passed with over 400 votes in the House, 88 votes in the Senate. George [H.W.] Bush, the president, proudly signed it. That bill would not pass today, because the Republican Party leadership would not let that happen.

So has it become impossible for an environmental group such as the L.C.V. to get behind Republicans?

Not impossible, but much, much, much more difficult. I think it remains easier at the state level. We have a network of 33 state LCVs across the country. They do the same kind of work we do — do elections and win policies. Because the fossil fuel industry is not as powerful in some of these states, they can find more bipartisan support there. In Washington, it’s not impossible, but it’s not easy. [Representative] Brian Fitzpatrick is a shining example, someone from a swing district in Pennsylvania who has the highest Republican score. I think he’s probably got about a 70 lifetime score [out of 100]. There used to be a lot more Brian Fitzpatricks.

EDIT

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/10/us/environmental-leader-bipartisanship-climate.html

[nilram]

1. Has it become impossible for Republicans to get behind the environment?

There, NYT, I fixed your question.