League Of Conservation Voters Endorses Republican Senator For Reelection

grist.org

The League of Conservation Voters has announced that it's endorsing Republican Maine Sen. Susan Collins in her bid for reelection.

"Sen. Collins is a leader and a champion for the environment, reaching across party lines to introduce and support bipartisan pieces of legislation that hold oil companies accountable for their high profits, invest in clean energy alternatives, and promote fuel efficiency for vehicles," said LCV Senior Vice President Tony Massaro in a statement. "Sen. Collins brings Maine's strong spirit of conservation to Washington, and she continues to be one of the nation's most powerful voices for clean, renewable energy."

Collins was one of only three senators, and the only Republican, to receive a perfect score on LCV's 2007 National Environmental Scorecard -- and she's the only Republican the group has endorsed in a Senate race this year. Her lifetime LCV score for her 11 years in Congress is 68 percent.

Collins' Democratic challenger this year is Rep. Tom Allen (whom Grist interviewed recently). Allen also earned a 100 percent score from LCV last year, and has a lifetime score of 93 percent in the House.

Collins is currently outpolling her opponent by 10 points.

Grist caught up with LCV's Massaro to find out a little more about the pick. "She has demonstrated great leadership, particularly on global warming," he said. "We think that she's going to play a critical role in 2009 in helping us get the 60 votes we're going to need to move something in the Senate."

"She's literally been to all ends of the earth looking at global warming and global warming problems, seeing the impacts of them first-hand," he continued. "I think she's got, as a result, an amazing ability to tell the story about global warming that helps not just with Republicans, but helps her reach across the aisle to some of the Democrats that we are challenged with to get support on strong global warming legislation."

In a press release, Collins thanked LCV for the endorsement. "I will continue to work with LCV and forward-thinking leaders from both parties to ensure a cleaner future for us all," she said. "The only way to find solution to the most pressing environmental and energy challenges facing our nation is to come together across party and regional lines."

Comments

[joebiz]

Environmentalism and concervatism are two different and mutually exclusive belief systems.

[incontempt]

My senator huh....if your name has an R beside it you gotta go, i've watched you largely vote party line with the republicans and have supported bush for 8 years now....i'll show you the same respect you showed me and vote party line against you! thankyou and farewell

[research]

nothing in her voting record supports this rating:
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/c001035/key-votes/

[research]

If the republicans were logical, I would vote for her.

The Problem is that the GOP is a TRIBE.

Logic has nothing to do with it.

The GOP IS THE "MOB" THEY SO FEAR!

[alamacTHC]

LCV ("League of Conservative Voters") has apparently gone over to the dark side completely. For them to knowingly try to take away one of the critical 60 seats the Dem's will need (presuming the Dem's don't "cowboy up" and do what should be done--NUKE THE FILIBUSTER and get rid of it once and for all) shows their true colors. They won't lose any of my money--I usually give to Greenpeace and/or Friends of the Earth--but I hope this last quisling act will become widely known & sink them once and for all.

BOYCOTT LCV. "ENVIRONMENTALISTS FOR OBAMA '08"

[JoBo43]

This shows a limited grasp of the issues on LCV's part. Sue Collins is undoubtedly a solid conservationalist, but she's also a Republican. Frankly, it's more important to have a veto-proof Democratic majority in the Senate next year than it is to give our friends a pat on the back. Especially when Democrat Tom Allen has equally good environmental credentials, there's no excuse for endorsing Collins.
This myopia is endemic to single-issue organizations, but it's also self-defeating. The LCV needs to get some serious blowback for their ill-considered endorsement.

[allwrite]

Better for LCV had they endorsed neither candidate, or endorsed both. They should be putting their time and energy toward races that are close. Wonder if they feel compelled to endorse a Repub from time to time just to counter claims that they are partisan.

[jacobomorales]

and what else did she do for the republican party, did she support the war, the cutting of scientific funding, destroy Social Security.......block fuel efficiency for cars and trucks, research in fuels to replace oil? Any of the above would disqualify her.