mcsally, martha Sen 8%

<div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">beaten by Gabby Mark Kelly&nbsp; husband</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">got a lot of energy corp $?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">
</font></div><div><b style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Martha McSally ran the Senate in 2018 and lost. She was subsequently appointed to the Senate on January 3, 2019 to replace Sen. Jon Kyl.&nbsp;</font></b></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://scorecard.lcv.org/moc/martha-mcsally">https://scorecard.lcv.org/moc/martha-mcsally</a></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">life <b>8%</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;=</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">nice overview</font></p><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2021/02/biden-climate-change-actions-anger-big-oil/">https://www.opensecrets.org/news/<b>2021/02</b>/biden-climate-change-actions-anger-big-oil/</a></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/2020-presidential-race/joe-biden/candidate?id=N00001669" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;signed executive actions last week prioritizing solutions to the “<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/01/27/remarks-by-president-biden-before-signing-executive-actions-on-tackling-climate-change-creating-jobs-and-restoring-scientific-integrity/" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">existential threat</a>” of climate change,</b>&nbsp;drawing the ire of many key players in the politically powerful&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?ind=e01&cycle=All" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">oil and gas industry</a>.&nbsp;</font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Biden’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/01/27/fact-sheet-president-biden-takes-executive-actions-to-tackle-the-climate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad-create-jobs-and-restore-scientific-integrity-across-federal-government/" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">actions</a>&nbsp;pressed pause on the leasing of federal lands and waters for oil drilling, set a goal of keeping 30 percent of federal lands for conservation purposes and announced the electrification of the federal government’s fleet of vehicles. The move comes a week after Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-protecting-public-health-and-environment-and-restoring-science-to-tackle-climate-crisis/" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">revoked the permits</a>&nbsp;for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline just hours after his inauguration, following through on a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-biden-keystone/biden-may-cancel-keystone-xl-pipeline-permit-as-soon-as-his-first-day-in-office-source-idUSKBN29N00A" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">campaign-trail promise</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;</font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Leading up to the 2020 election, the oil and gas industry&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/recips.php?cycle=2020&ind=e01" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">contributed</a>&nbsp;around $1.6 million more to former President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/2020-presidential-race/donald-trump/candidate?id=N00023864" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;than to Biden.</b>&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Trump painted himself as an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-technology-climate-26908b855045d5ce7342fd01be8bcc10" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">ally to the industry</a>&nbsp;on the stump and throughout his presidency — though&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/27/trump-oil-gas-industry-432722" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">industry insiders told Politico</a>&nbsp;in 2020 that the Trump administration was “a mixed bag” and “more like ‘meh’” than the windfall they had hoped for in 2016.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The oil industry spent millions in 2020 to try to keep a GOP majority in the Senate.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/valero-energy/summary?id=D000022303" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">Valero</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/chevron/summary?id=D000000015" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">Chevron</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/conocophillips/summary?id=D000000303" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">ConocoPhillips</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/outside-spending/corporate-contributions" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">among the few corporations</a>&nbsp;that give to super PACs, gave at least $1 million each this election cycle to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/detail.php?cycle=2020&cmte=C00571703" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">Senate Leadership Fund</a>, a conservative super PAC that spent $271 million to campaign against Democrats vying for the Senate.&nbsp;</font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Pausing land and water leases ‘to the extent possible’</font></strong></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Biden’s decision to halt future leases of federal land, pending a comprehensive review of the climate impact, caused an uproar among oil and gas companies and trade associations.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;<b>Just hours after Biden formalized the order, the&nbsp;</b></span><b><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/western-energy-alliance/summary?id=D000026603" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">Western Energy Alliance</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;announced it would&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.westernenergyalliance.org/pressreleases/bidens-leasing-ban-on-public-lands-challenged-by-western-energy-alliance-in-federal-court" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">sue the Biden administration</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, alleging the move violates existing law.</span></b></font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Most drilling occurs on private land, rather than federal property</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In 2017, approximately&nbsp;<a href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R42432" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">24 percent of oil and 13 percent of natural gas</a>&nbsp;extracted in the United States came from federal lands. According to analysis by the&nbsp;<a href="https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2018/5131/sir20185131.pdf" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">U.S. Geological Survey</a>, around a quarter of U.S. emissions come from the combustion and extraction of resources from federal lands.&nbsp;</span></font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Oil and gas companies rushed to stockpile drilling permits during Trump’s lameduck period — doubling the number of permit requests over the same period in 2019, according to an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-climate-wyoming-coronavirus-pandemic-a917f51126fa2641e0713573424b2b11" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">AP report</a>.&nbsp;</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Under Biden’s order, oil and gas companies can continue to obtain new permits to drill on land that has already been leased.&nbsp;</span></font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.audubon.org/news/biden-halts-oil-and-gas-leasing-slew-new-climate-actions" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">Experts say</a>&nbsp;the executive action likely won’t immediately impact rates of oil extraction in the U.S. As of 2019, there were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/docs/2021-01/Table1_NumberOfLeases_2019_4.xlsx" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">38,294 leases active</a>&nbsp;across the country, concentrated mostly in the American West. Once a lease has been issued, companies have 10 years to begin production on the land before the lease terminates.&nbsp;</font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The oil and gas industry’s leading trade association, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/american-petroleum-institute/summary?id=D000031493" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">American Petroleum Institute</a>, came out against the order.</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;API President Mike Sommers criticized Biden’s suspension of federal agencies’ authority to issue leases of federal land to drilling companies in a Jan. 21&nbsp;<a href="https://www.api.org/news-policy-and-issues/news/2021/01/21/doi-natural-gas-and-oil-leasing-suspension" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">statement</a>.&nbsp;</span></font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“Restricting development on federal lands and waters is nothing more than an ‘import more oil’ policy. Energy demand will continue to rise—especially as the economy recovers—and we can choose to produce that energy here in the United States or rely on foreign countries hostile to American interests,” Sommers said.&nbsp;</font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In 2020,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/american-petroleum-institute/C00483677/summary/2020" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">API’s PAC</a>&nbsp;spent $88,200 to support Republican candidates, giving $5,000 to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/great-america-pac/C00608489/summary/2020" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">Great America PAC</a>, a Trump-aligned&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/resources/learn/glossary.php#Carey+Committee" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">Carey committee</a>.</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">API also dropped&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/clients/summary?cycle=2020&id=D000031493" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">$5.3 million to employ 40 lobbyists</a>, reporting lobbying 66 individual bills. The institute’s lobbying spending fell during Trump’s administration after trending upward throughout former President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/pres12/candidate.php?id=N00009638" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">Barack Obama</a>’s two terms in office.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Another leading oil and gas industry association, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/independent-petroleum-assn-of-america/summary?id=D000022041" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">Independent Petroleum Association of America</a>, has also come out in opposition to the action.&nbsp;</b></font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“We think it was really misguided,” Senior Vice President for Government Relations Dan Naatz&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kait8.com/2021/01/29/exploring-economic-industrial-effects-keystone-xl-pipeline-reversal/" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">told an Arkansas TV news team</a>. “It impacts jobs and economies through the inner-Mountain West, all the way through the country.”</font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In 2020, the organization’s PAC&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/independent-petroleum-assn-of-america/recipients?id=D000022041" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">spent</a>&nbsp;$215,300 in campaign contributions, giving $10,000 each to Sens.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/steven-daines/summary?cid=N00033054" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">Steve Daines</a>&nbsp;(R-Mont.),&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/thom-tillis/industries?cid=N00035492&cycle=2020" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">Thom Tillis</a>&nbsp;(R-N.C.), and former Sens.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/summary?cid=N00030780" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">Cory Gardner</a>&nbsp;(R-Colo.) and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/martha-mcsally/summary?cid=N00033982" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">Martha McSally</a>&nbsp;(R-Ariz.).&nbsp;</font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>Biden framed the executive action as a jobs package,&nbsp;</b><a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/01/27/remarks-by-president-biden-before-signing-executive-actions-on-tackling-climate-change-creating-jobs-and-restoring-scientific-integrity/" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">remarking</a>, “today is climate day in the White House which means today is jobs day at the White House,” just before he signed the executive actions. Labor leaders say they are waiting to hear how exactly Biden will replace jobs lost in energy sectors.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;</span></font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“It’s too glib and easy to say someone working in the mines can get a solar job. That is too simplistic,” Jason Walsh, executive director of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/bluegreen-alliance/summary?id=D000060384" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">BlueGreen Alliance</a>, told the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/energy/kerrys-claim-solar-wind-jobs-misses-mark" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">Washington Examiner</a>. “There is a mismatch between where energy jobs are getting lost and where they are created. We have to close that gap, but we also have to be real and help economies diversify their economies in ways based on their own assets.”</font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Oil corporations emphasize that gap. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.globalenergyinstitute.org/" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">Global Energy Institute</a>, a subsidiary of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/us-chamber-of-commerce/summary?id=D000019798" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">U.S. Chamber of Commerce</a>, came out against some of Biden’s climate actions, claiming it would lead to widespread unemployment</b>.&nbsp;</font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Without the prospect of future leases, investment and planning will begin to dry up immediately, thwarting job creation and the economic growth at the worst possible time,” the Institute’s President Marty Durbin said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.globalenergyinstitute.org/us-chamber-welcomes-biden-focus-climate-solutions-opposes-federal-lands-and-waters-energy-ban" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">statement</a>.&nbsp;</font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The Chamber of Commerce perennially favors Republicans and dropped&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/detail.php?cmte=US%20Chamber%20of%20Commerce&cycle=2020" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">$5.7 million in outside spending</a>&nbsp;in 2020.&nbsp;</font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Keystone canceled, frustrating some oil companies</font></strong></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The Chamber of Commerce also condemned Biden’s action to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline, a project widely&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-30103078" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">opposed</a>&nbsp;by environmental advocates, indigenous communities and scientists.&nbsp;</font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“This is a politically motivated decision that is not grounded in science. It will harm consumers and put thousands of Americans in the building trades out of work,” Durbin&nbsp;<a href="https://www.globalenergyinstitute.org/us-chamber-opposes-executive-action-halt-keystone-xl-pipeline" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">said</a>.&nbsp;</font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Keystone XL pipeline was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nrdc.org/stories/what-keystone-pipeline" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">proposed</a>&nbsp;in 2008, vetoed by Obama in 2015 and promptly re-initiated by Trump in 2016 along with another controversial project, the Dakota Access Pipeline. Environmental and indigenous rights advocates are now&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/21/dakota-access-pipeline-joe-biden-indigenous-environment" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">calling on Biden</a>&nbsp;to cancel the latter pipeline, which abuts the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.&nbsp;</font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">That pipeline is owned by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/C00438754/summary/2020" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">Energy Transfer Partners</a>, an oil and gas conglomerate that gave more in campaign contributions than any other company in the industry. Ninety-nine percent of its donations went to Republican candidates and committees.&nbsp;<b>In 2020, the company’s co-founder and board chair, Kelcy Warren,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/donor-lookup/results?name=kelcy+warren&order=desc&sort=A" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">donated</a>&nbsp;a whopping $10 million to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/contrib.php?cmte=C00637512&cycle=2020" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">America First Action</a>, a Trump-affiliated super PAC.&nbsp;</b></font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Biden’s climate actions are also drawing criticism from Republican lawmakers from oil-rich states who have benefited from industry contributions. Sens.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/jerry-moran/summary?cid=N00005282" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">Jerry Moran</a>&nbsp;(R-Kan.),&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/steven-daines/summary?cid=N00033054" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">Steve Daines</a>&nbsp;(R-Mont.),&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/mike-crapo/summary?cid=N00006267" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">Mike Crapo</a>&nbsp;(R-Idaho),&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/james-e-risch/summary?cid=N00029441" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">Jim Risch</a>&nbsp;(R-Idaho),&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/john-a-barrasso/summary?cid=N00006236" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">John Barrasso</a>&nbsp;(R-Wyo.),&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/james-m-inhofe/summary?cid=N00005582" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">Jim Inhofe</a>&nbsp;(R-Okla.),&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/summary?cid=N00037034" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">Roger Marshall</a>&nbsp;(R-Kan.) and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/john-hoeven/summary?cid=N00031688" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">John Hoeven</a>&nbsp;(R-N.D.) announced Jan. 22 that they would introduce legislation to overturn Biden’s executive action and re-issue permits to the Keystone XL Pipeline, which was slated to pass through Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska before connecting to an existing pipeline in Kansas.&nbsp;</font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“We came so far during the last administration – from prioritizing American energy development to ending the f<b>ar-left’s war on fossil fuel</b>s,” said Inhofe in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=BD1FCB43-90B9-4A15-BA9F-880195A3EC25" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">statement</a>&nbsp;announcing the legislation.&nbsp;</font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Throughout his career, Inhofe has received in excess of $2.2 million in campaign&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/summary.php?ind=e01&cycle=All&recipdetail=S&mem=Y" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">contributions from oil and gas companies</a>. Daines and Barrasso have each received $1.2 million from the industry.&nbsp;</font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The group’s bill is a symbolic gesture to the industry and its supporters without any real hope of passing the Senate, where Democrats wield a majority, albeit narrowly.&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The oil and gas industry spent heavily to prevent the upper chamber from swinging blue,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/summary.php?ind=e01&recipdetail=S&sortorder=A&mem=Y&cycle=2020" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">giving around $600,000</a>&nbsp;each to Republican Senate candidates in Georgia&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/kelly-loeffler/summary?cid=N00046125" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">Kelly Loeffler</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/david-perdue/summary?cid=N00035516" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">David Perdue</a>, who both lost narrowly to Democratic challengers in January runoffs. The American Petroleum Institute&nbsp;<a href="https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00571703/1496917/sa/ALL" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">donated</a>&nbsp;$5 million to the Senate Leadership Fund in late November, after every Senate campaign had concluded save the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2021/01/georgia-senate-races-shatter-records/" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">two ultra-expensive</a>&nbsp;Georgia races.&nbsp;</span></font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Faced with pressure from Washington, other corporations look to adapt&nbsp;</font></strong></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Some energy companies are taking a different tact, announcing plans to adapt their business model to thrive in a Biden administration that prioritizes conservation and climate action.&nbsp;</font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Industry giant&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/exxon-mobil/summary?id=d000000129" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">Exxon Mobil</a>&nbsp;announced Feb. 1, just days after Biden’s executive order, that it would&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/01/business/energy-environment/exxon-mobil-carbon-capture.html" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">initiate massive investments</a>&nbsp;in carbon capture technology aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.</b>&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The company, whose employees favored Biden over Trump in 2020 campaign contributions, will spend $3 billion over the next five years to build up a new subsidiary business: ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions.&nbsp;</span></font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>General Motors has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/28/business/gm-zero-emission-vehicles.html" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; max-height: 1e+06px;">committed to only manufacturing zero-emissions vehicles</a>&nbsp;by the year 2035,</b>&nbsp;inline with Biden’s commitment to electrifying the government’s fleet. Ford’s new CEO has also pledged to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/04/ford-ceo-promises-year-of-action-for-restructuring-and-evs.html" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">restructure production plans</a>, prioritizing the addition of electric vehicles to its portfolio, which currently features only one fully-electric model.&nbsp;</font></p><p style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><br style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;" /><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/american-fuel-petrochem-manufacturers/summary?id=D000027874" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers</a>, an oil-refining trade association that spent $3.2 to lobby the government in 2019, responded to that provision by reaching out to an unlikely ally: biofuel manufacturers</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. AFPM reportedly hopes to&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-biden-electric-cars-exclusive/exclusive-u-s-oil-industry-seeks-unusual-alliance-with-farm-belt-to-fight-biden-electric-vehicle-agenda-idUSKBN29X2O8" style="line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; touch-action: manipulation; transition: background-color 150ms ease-in-out 0s, border 150ms ease-in-out 0s, color 150ms ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; font-weight: lighter; max-height: 1e+06px;">create an alliance</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;with the competitor industry to lobby Biden to revise his fleet electrification plans in order to include cars powered by low-emission gasoline made from a mix of gasoline and ethanol.</span></font></p></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">an 1120</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><h1 class="widgetheadline h1" style="margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; cursor: pointer; overflow-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a class="widgetheadline-text custom-post-headline" href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/11/martha-mcsally-joins-fellow-gop-losers-in-refusing-to-concede-senate-race-even-as-math-shows-she-cant-win/" aria-label="Martha McSally&nbsp; joins fellow GOP losers in refusing to concede Senate race — even as math shows she can’t win" data-type="text" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;" open="Open" sans="Sans" sans-serif="sans-serif" word-break="word-break" break-word="break-word" outline="outline" px="px" overflow-wrap="overflow-wrap" font-size="font-size" line-height="line-height"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">McSally&nbsp; joins fellow GOP losers in refusing to concede Senate race — even as math shows she can’t win</font></a></h1><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><div class="social-author clearfix" style="margin-top: 10px; display: inline-block; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a class="social-authorname" href="https://www.alternet.org/author/igor-derysh" data-type="text" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; overflow-wrap: break-word; line-height: 1.4; display: inline; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">Igor Derysh</a>&nbsp;<a class="social-authorname" href="https://www.alternet.org/author/salon" data-type="text" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; overflow-wrap: break-word; line-height: 1.4; display: inline; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">Salon</a></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;</span><div class="social-date" style="margin-top: 8px; display: inline-block; vertical-align: top; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;<span class="social-date__text" style="top: 3px; position: relative; line-height: 1; left: -3px;">November 11, 2020</span></div><div class="body js-expandable clearfix js-listicle-body css-listicle-body-2648859038" style="margin-top: 10px; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; text-overflow: ellipsis; display: -webkit-box; -webkit-line-clamp: 4; overflow: hidden; line-height: 31px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="body-description"><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., refuses to concede her election, even though she trails her Democratic rival by a margin which exceeds the total number o...</font></p></div></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">1020</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">...<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The McSally notices illustrate this point. The contribution history of one single recurring donor,</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;</span><b style="">Bruce P. Bengtson,</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">accounts for more than 10 full pages, or 25% of the list. Other donors take up multiple pages, such as Bill Deaton, whose name appears on 215 line items in one letter.</span></font></div><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Deaton, founder of a Kentucky-based data-processing company, was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kentucky.com/news/business/article44064621.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">fined $1 million</a>&nbsp;and sentenced to a year of home detention in a federal fraud case in 2010. FEC&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/?data_type=processed&committee_id=C00666040&contributor_name=deaton&two_year_transaction_period=2020" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">records</a>&nbsp;show he has contributed $6,706 to McSally this year. The individual limit for a full election cycle is $5,600.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The Graham campaign also appears to have erred in some of its bookkeeping, according to the FEC, and the Harrison campaign needs to explain several donors with foreign addresses and three sources identified as "possible prohibited entities." (While the letter does not elaborate on the latter, one of the names — PCCC, LLC — appears to have been identified as a difficult-to-trace entity in a Center for Public Integrity&nbsp;<a href="https://publicintegrity.org/politics/how-citizens-united-is-helping-hillary-clinton-win-the-white-house/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">analysis</a>&nbsp;of 2016 donations to Hillary Clinton.)</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">One of the over-limit donors to Graham, who has taken to begging for campaign cash in recent Fox News appearances, was Washington attorne<b>y Ty Cobb,&nbsp;</b>formerly a lawyer for Trump during the Russia investigations. Cobb has given Graham $1,000 above the $2,800 general election maximum.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">A handful of names, however, are on the lists for both Graham and McSally.</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">All those people, according to FEC searches, appear to be</span></font><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">&nbsp;retirees.</font><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;A closed-quote Google search of these donors brings up something unusual:&nbsp;<b>Their names also appear in the headlines of what look like online news articles announcing their donations.</b></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">For instance, a man named<b>&nbsp;Henry L. Collins III gave $4,350 to Graham's campaign between April 30 and June 30, in a series of dozens of donations between $50 and $500. During that same period, he gave $4,425 to McSally</b>. FEC records show that as of July 15, Collins had contributed a total $14,745 to McSally, nearly $10,000 above the individual limit, and as of June 30 had given about $8,400&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/?data_type=processed&committee_id=C00458828&contributor_name=henry+collins+&two_year_transaction_period=2020" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">to Graham</a>, an excess of $2,800.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">On July 1, Collins' name was featured in a headline for an&nbsp;<a href="https://phxreporter.com/stories/548171781-martha-mcsally-s-campaign-committee-receives-2-705-from-henry-l-collins-iii" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">article</a>&nbsp;in&nbsp;<b>something calling itself PHX Reporter</b>&nbsp;that read: "Martha McSally's campaign committee receives $2,705 from Henry L. Collins III."</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">But PHX Reporter is identical to another site called Western South Dakota News, which on July 14&nbsp;<a href="https://westernsdnews.com/stories/542406795-henry-l-collins-iii-donates-500-to-elizabeth-marty-may-s-campaign-committee-in-april" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">announced</a>&nbsp;Collins' $500 contribution to Liz Marty May, a Republican congressional candidate. (Collins did not reply to Salon's request for comment.)</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">For that matter, Western South Dakota News looks exactly like&nbsp;<a href="https://treasurecoastsun.com/stories/550340159-linda-levy-donates-455-to-brian-mast-s-campaign-committee-from-january-to-june" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">the Treasure Coast Sun</a>, which looks like the Columbia Standard</span>&nbsp;— a site that published stories about individual contributions to both&nbsp;<a href="https://columbiastandard.com/stories/545483311-bruce-bengtson-donates-325-to-lindsey-olin-graham-s-campaign-committee-in-may" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Graham</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://columbiastandard.com/stories/546670410-michael-feller-donates-100-to-jaime-harrison-s-campaign-committee-in-march" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Harrison</a>. Collins' name appears in&nbsp;<a href="https://columbiastandard.com/stories/545484928-wayne-pruitt-donates-500-to-lindsey-olin-graham-s-campaign-committee-in-may" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">a list</a>&nbsp;of top donors for the month of May on a Columbia Standard article — and three other donors on the list appear to have exceeded the legal limit with contributions from that month alone.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">These sites are part of a larger network of what could fairly be described as fake news sites — webpages that publish algorithm-driven content, much of it anonymous and automated, targeted at hyper-local audiences. Those networks of sites —&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cjr.org/analysis/as-election-looms-a-network-of-mysterious-pink-slime-local-news-outlets-nearly-triples-in-size.php" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">dubbed "pink slime,"</a>&nbsp;a play on "yellow journalism" — have tripled in size as Election Day approaches. And they're part of an even larger network, connected&nbsp;<a href="https://mainebeacon.com/anonymous-maine-news-site-tied-to-conservative-pac-funded-network/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">to a conservative PAC</a>.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">That network, however, also appears to publish&nbsp;<a href="https://azbusinessdaily.com/stories/537537524-martha-mcsally-s-campaign-committee-refunds-25-to-bruce-p-bengtson" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">campaign refunds</a>&nbsp;at times. One repeat McSally donor who spoke with Salon said that he had been refunded money multiple times over the last year, most recently last week, after the McSally campaign's most recent FEC letter. Earlier refunds made it into the pink slime headlines. The latest news apparently has yet to break.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The McSally, Graham and Harrison campaigns declined to comment for this article.</font></p><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">an 920</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">a<a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/09/ap-reporter-explains-martha-mcsallys-conspicuous-absence-from-latinos-for-trump-event-in-her-own-state/" style="font-family: " open="Open" sans="Sans" sans-serif="sans-serif" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box" outline="outline" none="none" margin="margin" px="px" padding="padding" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" color="color" transition="transition" all="all" s="s" ease="ease" cursor="cursor" pointer="pointer" font-size="font-size" letter-spacing="letter-spacing">P reporter explains Martha McSally’s conspicuous absence from ‘Latinos for Trump’ event in her own state</a></font></div><div class="header-list-style" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="grid-post-box-meta" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 12px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="author-italic author vcard" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/alex-henderson/" title="Posts by Alex Henderson" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Alex Henderson</a>&nbsp;</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">September 15, 2020</span></font></div></div><div class="item-content entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 18px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">After a MAGA rally in Henderson, Nevada near Las Vegas on Sunday, September 13, President Donald Trump headed to Phoenix for a “Latinos for Trump” event the following day —…</font></p></div><div><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/09/heres-why-cory-gardner-and-other-gop-senators-are-still-all-in-for-trump-even-if-it-costs-them-the-election/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/09/heres-why-cory-gardner-and-other-gop-senators-are-still-all-in-for-trump-even-if-it-costs-them-the-election/</a></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">alex h</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>recent polls have not been looking good for Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner, who is trailing his Democratic opponent, former Gov. John Hickenlooper, by 9%, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://morningconsult.com/2020/09/03/majority-makers-colorado-senate-hickenlooper-gardner/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Morning Consult</a>&nbsp;as well as&nbsp;<a href="https://giffords.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/ColoradoResults1.pdf" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Public Policy Polling</a>. Trumpism is not serving Gardner well, begging the question: why is the Colorado Republican doubling down on his support of President Donald Trump even though it appears likely to cost him the election</b>? Never Trump conservative journalist Jonathan V. Last answers that question in an&nbsp;<a href="https://thebulwark.com/newsletter-issue/cory-gardner-and-the-toxic-republican-party/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">article published in The Bulwark</a>&nbsp;over Labor Day Weekend. And Last’s explanation applies not only to Gardner, but also, to Sen. Martha McSally of Arizona, Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa and other incumbent GOP senators in swing states who refuse to say a word against the president.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Gardner is running behind Trump in a state that Trump is going to lose,” Last observes. “And yet, Gardner remains almost wholly beholden to Trump. Why is that?”</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Last, citing polling data from Morning Consult, stresses that Gardner’s “political career is over” in Colorado&nbsp; — where “Democrats loathe him, independents are repelled by him, and Republicans see him as a cuck for not supporting Trump from the start.”</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“He almost certainly realizes that there is no path forward for him in Colorado politics,” Last argues. “The state is changing, demographically and politically, and he’s on the wrong side of everything: he’s not where the main body of voters are, and he’s not where the party base are, either. He’s both too Trump and not QAnon enough…. So why is Gardner still all-in for Trump?'</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">the answer, according to Last: Gardner is putting “party over country.” Gardner, Last emphasizes, is the type of Republican who sees “the Republican Party as a higher priority than the country itself” — and when he loses to Hickenlooper, he “is going to have to make due with raking in the Benjamins in the private-sector sinecures reserved for washed-up politicos.”</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Last doesn’t discuss McSally in his Bulwark article on Gardner. But taking the conservative journalist’s arguments a step further, one could say that Gardner is thinking long-term: even if he is “washed up” in Colorado, he could still have a place in Republican politics in general — perhaps as a pundit at Fox News, perhaps writing books, perhaps hosting a radio program.&nbsp;</span><b style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The same applies to</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"> McSally.</span></b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Although poll after poll shows her losing to Democrat Mark Kelly in Arizona’s 2020 U.S. Senate race, she isn’t about to criticize Trump because she knows there could be money-making opportunities for her down the road in the right-wing media.</span></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">After being voted out of office in 2006, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum was never elected to public office again yet remained a prominent figure in right-wing politics. CNN, in the Trump era, has often featured Santorum as a pro-Trump pundit. And former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the late Sen. John McCain’s running mate in the 2008 presidential election, made millions of dollars as a pundit even though she never became vice president and never ran for political office again after 2008. Palin is an embarrassment, but in the right-wing media, she is taken seriously.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The “private-sector sinecures reserved for washed-up politicos,” as Last describes them, can be incredibly lucrative. Palin is the butt of jokes outside of the GOP/Fox News/AM talk radio bubble, but that hasn’t stopped her from making millions of dollars.</b></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">If recent polls are accurate, Trumpism will cause Gardner and McSally to be voted out of office in November — even if Trump himself manages to pull off a narrow victory in the Electoral College. But the right-wing media often find ways for wingnuts to prosper after they lose elections, from Fox News appearances and AM talk radio shows to book deals. And cable news viewers will probably be seeing a lot of Gardner and McSally in 2021 no matter how badly they lose in November.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></p></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">an 520</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/05/the-sad-and-pitiful-case-of-republican-sen-martha-mcsally/" rel="bookmark" title="The sad and pitiful case of Republican Sen. Martha McSally" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 6px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; line-height: 1.4; display: block; letter-spacing: 0px; font-weight: 700; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">&nbsp;sad and pitiful case of Republican Sen. Martha McSally</font></a></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><p class="yiv1056066306headline3" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" margin="margin" padding="padding"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">g<a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="http://click1.e.alternet.org/xppsbnckcmgtgbqqtphcctcqqptqkrjysmcghdnprpvv_twpzlpjpklvjbvbvphv.html?a=&b=3993&c=21989&d=2" style="">OP’s Martha McSally bungles blame for COVID-19 on Fox News: ‘Asymmetric people are spreading this virus’</a></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Georgia, " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" serif="serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" font-style="font-style" italic="italic" color="color" rgb="rgb" margin="margin" padding="padding"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) began pointing fingers for the spread…</font></p></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">1/20?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><div class="header-list-style" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><h2 class="entry-title grid-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; letter-spacing: 1px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; letter-spacing: 0px;">l<a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/01/local-arizona-paper-editorial-board-slams-mcsally-as-an-opportunist-who-debased-herself-with-crude-attack-on-cnn-reporter/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer; letter-spacing: 0px;">ocal Arizona editorial board slams McSally as an ‘opportunist’ who ‘debased’ herself with crude attack on CNN reporter</a></font></h2><div class="grid-post-box-meta" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 12px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="author-italic author vcard" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/author/alex-henderson/" title="Posts by Alex Henderson" class="author url fn" rel="author" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Alex Henderson</a></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">January 22, 2020</span></font></div></div><div class="item-content entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 18px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sen. Martha McSally has been widely criticized for insulting CNN reporter Manu Raju last week. When Raju, on January 16, asked the Arizona Republican whether or not new evidence should</font></p></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.rawstory.com/2020/02/martha-mcsally-is-in-big-trouble-after-impeachment-votes-report/">https://www.rawstory.com/2020/02/martha-mcsally-is-in-big-trouble-after-impeachment-votes-report/</a></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/01/local-arizona-paper-editorial-board-slams-mcsally-as-an-opportunist-who-debased-herself-with-crude-attack-on-cnn-reporter/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/01/local-arizona-paper-editorial-board-slams-mcsally-as-an-opportunist-who-debased-herself-with-crude-attack-on-cnn-reporter/</a></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/01/heres-how-we-know-martha-mcsallys-anti-cnn-outburst-was-a-calculated-stunt-former-rnc-spokesperson/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/01/heres-how-we-know-martha-mcsallys-anti-cnn-outburst-was-a-calculated-stunt-former-rnc-spokesperson/</a></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/01/pathetic-internet-revolts-against-snarling-trumpist-martha-mcsally-for-flipping-out-on-reporter-as-election-prospect-dwindles/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/01/pathetic-internet-revolts-against-snarling-trumpist-martha-mcsally-for-flipping-out-on-reporter-as-election-prospect-dwindles/</a></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/martha-mcsally/summary?cid=N00033982&cycle=2020&type=C">https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/martha-mcsally/summary?cid=N00033982&cycle=2020&type=C</a></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">armed Services</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div>Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs</div><div>Energy and Natural Resources</div><div>Indian Affairs</div><div>First Election: 2019</div><div>Next Election: 2020</div><div>
</div><div><b>Martha McSally ran the Senate in 2018 and lost. She was subsequently appointed to the Senate on January 3, 2019 to replace Sen. Jon Kyl. Previously she served in the House from 2015 to 2019.</b></div><div>
</div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">energy corps $</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/summary?cid=N00033982"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/summary?cid=N00033982</font></a></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Campaign Committee & Leadership PAC Combined Fundraising, 2015 - 2020LAST REPORT: 09/30/2019</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Raised:<span style="white-space:pre"> </span></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;$8,398,692&nbsp;</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Spent:<span style="white-space:pre"> </span></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;$3,690,351&nbsp;</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Cash on hand:<span style="white-space:pre"> </span></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;$5,722,522&nbsp;</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Debts:<span style="white-space:pre"> </span></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;$0&nbsp;</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Top Contributors, 2015 - 2020</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Contributor<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>Total<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>Individuals<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>PACs</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">WinRed<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>$113,004<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>$113,004<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>$0</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">National Republican Senatorial Cmte<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>$44,600<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>$0<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>$44,600</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Elliott Management</b><span style="white-space:pre"> </span>$36,800<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>$36,800<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>$0</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">NorPAC<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>$31,560<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>$31,460<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>$100</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Livingstones Foundation<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>$20,600<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>$20,600<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>$0</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Top Industries, 2015 - 2020</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Industry<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>Total<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>Individuals<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>PACs</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Retired<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>$1,438,385</b><span style="white-space:pre"> </span>$1,438,385<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>$0</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Republican/Conservative<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>$530,567<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>$528,567<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>$2,000</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Securities & Investment<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>$381,817<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>$321,844<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>$59,973</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Real Estate<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>$246,184<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>$209,184<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>$37,000</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Leadership PACs<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>$239,167<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>$567<span style="white-space:pre"> </span>$238,600</font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><h3 class="yiv3686357747null" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 22.5px; letter-spacing: -0.5px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-family: lato, " helvetica="helvetica" neue="neue" arial="arial" sans-serif="sans-serif"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">New pop-up ‘dark money’ group targets Martha McSally with six-figure ad buy</font></span></h3><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><br style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-family: lato, " helvetica="helvetica" neue="neue" arial="arial" sans-serif="sans-serif">A secretive new “dark money” group is hitting the airwaves — and the road — to help Democrats win Arizona’s hotly contested Senate seat in 2020. Advancing AZ, which also goes by Honest Arizona, is hammering Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) over her vote to repeal much of the Affordable Care Act.&nbsp; The new group purchased nearly $155,000 worth of TV ads in Arizona to run through much of September.&nbsp;<span style="overflow-wrap: break-word;"><strong><a rel="nofollow" target="blank" href="https://opensecrets.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=aa7cf182bf7041258bb250f9d&id=3c057ce9a5&e=44dfb36771" style="overflow-wrap: break-word;">Read More</a></strong></span></span></span></font></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-family: lato, " helvetica="helvetica" neue="neue" arial="arial" sans-serif="sans-serif"><span style="overflow-wrap: break-word;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></span></span></span></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A secretive new “dark money” group is hitting the airwaves — and the road — to help Democrats win Arizona’s hotly contested Senate seat in 2020.&nbsp;</font><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Advancing AZ, which also goes by Honest Arizona, is hammering Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/summary?cid=N00033982" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Martha McSally</a>&nbsp;(R-Ariz.) over her vote to repeal much of the Affordable Care Act. The new group purchased nearly $155,000 worth of TV ads in Arizona to run through much of September, according to Federal Communications Commission records in OpenSecrets’&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/ad-data" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">political ad database</a>.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Tell Martha McSally to stop attacking our health care,” the 30-second ad tells viewers, displaying a phone number that redirects to McSally’s Washington, D.C., office.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6382179-Advancing-Arizona-Incorporation-Records.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Incorporated</a>&nbsp;as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit in April, Advancing AZ is not required to disclose its donors, leaving the public in the dark about who is bankrolling these ads. The group did not respond to a request for comment about its funding.&nbsp;</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Like similar dark money groups that have materialized to influence high-stakes Senate races, Advancing AZ has nebulous ties to Democratic establishment groups.&nbsp;</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The group’s chairman, Arizona resident Steve Gomez, was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0HCFfH4rS4" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">featured in an anti-McSally ad</a>&nbsp;from Democratic dark money group&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/detail.php?cmte=C90016098&cycle=2018" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Majority Forward</a>&nbsp;that aired just before the 2018 election. In the ad, Gomez criticizes McSally for voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act, noting that his son “will forever be labeled as a pre-existing condition” due to a heart transplant he underwent shortly after birth.&nbsp;</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Martha McSally voted to allow insurance companies to deny coverage to people like our son,” he says in the ad.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Majority Forward was the top dark money spender of last year’s midterms, dumping more than $40 million into Senate races and shelling out $7 million in ads opposing McSally. The 501(c)(4) effectively functions as an arm of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/detail.php?cmte=C00484642" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Senate Majority PAC</a>, the flagship super PAC aligned with Senate Democrats known for proliferating the spread of its own&nbsp;<a href="https://publicintegrity.org/federal-politics/pop-up-pacs-are-spending-big-in-election-2018s-final-days-but-theyre-hiding-their-bankrollers/" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">pop-up PACs</a>.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">McSally is likely to face well-funded Democrat Mark Kelly in 2020. Democratic groups see the Arizona Republican as particularly beatable after she lost to Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/summary?cid=N00033983" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Kyrsten Sinema</a>&nbsp;(D-Ariz.) in 2018 then was appointed to fill a vacant Senate seat.&nbsp;</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><strong style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">GOP senators in Iowa and Maine face similar attacks</font></strong></p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Advancing AZ is the latest in a string of Democratic dark money groups to pop up in states where a vulnerable Republican incumbent faces reelection next year.</font><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Another alliterative nonprofit,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sunjournal.com/2019/08/13/democratic-dark-money-group-targets-susan-collins/" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Maine Momentum</a>, is running ads in the Pine Tree State lambasting Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/summary?cid=N00000491&cycle=CAREER" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Susan Collins</a>&nbsp;(R-Maine) over her vote on the 2017 tax bill, arguing that it will lead to cuts to Medicare and Social Security. The anonymously-funded nonprofit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2019/08/dark-money-1m-on-joni-ernst-2020-senate-race/" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Iowa Forward</a>, which also goes by the name Iowa Voices, is running similar ads attacking Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/summary/joni-ernst?cid=N00035483" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Joni Ernst</a>&nbsp;(R-Iowa) over her vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act.&nbsp;</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">All three nonprofits were incorporated between April and May. None of the groups have a donate button on their remarkably similar websites, but nonetheless raised enough anonymous cash to fund six-figure ad campaigns in a matter of months.&nbsp;</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">While Iowa Forward wheels around a billboard that attacks Ernst’s record on health care, Advancing AZ drives the “McSally Truth Truck” that attacks McSally’s record on health care.&nbsp;</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Both the Iowa and Arizona groups buy ads via Washington firm&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/expends/vendor.php?year=2016&vendor=TARGETED+PLATFORM+MEDIA" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Targeted Platform Media</a>, which was one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/expends/vendors.php?year=2016&type=cycle" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">highest-paid vendors</a>&nbsp;during the 2016 election thanks to its work with Democratic super PAC&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/detail.php?cmte=C00495861&cycle=2016" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Priorities USA Action</a>.&nbsp;</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As the ads do not explicitly advocate for or against the Republican candidates’ elections and are not&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/527s/electioneering.php" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">run in close proximity</a>&nbsp;to the 2020 election, the spending is not required to be disclosed to the Federal Election Commission. That means Advancing AZ’s financiers and even details of its activities may remain hidden from voters whose opinions it is spending to influence.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Advancing AZ is staffed by Arizona Democratic players.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/summary?cid=N00006403&cycle=CAREER" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Sam Coppersmith</a>, a one-term congressman from Arizona and former state Democratic party chair, is listed as a director for Advancing AZ. He’s currently a partner at Coppersmith Brockelman PLC, a Phoenix-area law firm. Hunter Henderson, one of the group’s&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/HonestArizona/status/1164246608223059968" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">advisory board members</a>, works for the Democrats’ state-level super PAC,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00631556&cycle=2018" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Forward Majority</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Current or former Democratic aides make up the ranks of the Iowa and Maine groups, too.&nbsp;</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Majority Forward and Senate Majority PAC did not respond to a request for comment about whether they are connected to the groups.&nbsp;</font></p></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Top Republicans are racing to lock down the Senate votes needed to defeat the resolution against&nbsp;Donald Trump’s border wall national emergency after it passed the House on Tuesday. <b>Arizona Sen. Martha McSally</b> is among the Republicans who’ve been&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/2/26/1837795/-Will-more-than-one-Republican-do-the-right-thing-as-House-votes-to-block-Trump-s-national-emergency" target="blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">identified as undecided</a>—but it’s looking like that might be a negotiating ploy.</font></p><div class="p1_4" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">McSally&nbsp;<a title="" href="https://twitter.com/SenMcSallyAZ/status/1100548790661058560" target="blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">tweeted</a>&nbsp;Tuesday evening that she had been talking with Mike Pence as he tries to round up votes, and “I am seeking assurances that the money will not come from Arizona military construction projects</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.” In the past, senators maintained support at home by getting pork—now it’s all about protecting their states from arbitrary and capricious cuts to serve a racist whim.</span></font></p><div class="p2_4" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="teadsNative" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">McSally continued: “We can & must secure our border while ensuring our armed forces have the resources and facilities they need.” In Arizona, anyway. Screw all those other states that will get cut a little more because Arizona’s military construction funding is protected in exchange for her vote. But it’s not hard to read McSally here. She’s an appointed senator who&nbsp;<em style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">lost</em>&nbsp;an election last November, her appointed term is up in 2020, and she’s caught between her party’s base and the general unpopularity of Trump’s fake emergency. So she’s going with the “just here to take care of my state” framing, even though she could also protect Arizona’s military construction projects by, you know, voting to protect every state’s military construction projects by blocking the national emergency declaration.</font></p><div class="p3_4" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.8; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Give her points for this: “Screw you,&nbsp;I’ve got mine” is classic Republican move.</font></p></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ew</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">...<span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">McSally, on the other hand, took the opportunity to criticize steps taken by former President Barack Obama to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. She did not deny climate science, but still said she had "fought against" regulations meant to address it.</span></font></div><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"Crushing regulations, such as the Obama administration's&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/clean-power-plan" target="self" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Clean Power Plan</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/wotus-rule-clean-water-lawsuit-2596664636.html" target="self" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Waters of the United States</a>, only serve as federal overreaches that further burden Arizona's small businesses and farmers and harm those in poverty with increased utility bills," McSally said in an email.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>However, Sinema's desire to emphasize working with Republicans has sometimes caused her to waffle on the causes of climate change</b>. In a televised debate with McSally, a listener asked the candidates if they believed climate change was a "man-made problem" and what they would do to combat it, particularly when it comes to preserving Arizona's water.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"Well, I do believe that climate change is real, and I think it doesn't make a lot of sense for us to spend time debating how we got to the place that we are today. What does make sense is for individuals who have the ability to make a difference moving forward to work together to make that difference," she said. She then promised to work with Arizona Senator Jon Kyl, the Republican appointed to fill in for McCain after his death, on water conservation in the state.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">McSally did not answer with her opinion on climate change specifically, but talked about the importance of water before moving on to address issues related to the military and to criticize Sinema for anti-war statements made in 2003.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">You can see the video here:</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></p><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/election-03918/three-most-insane-conspiracy-theories-republicans-ballot-counting">https://www.alternet.org/election-03918/three-most-insane-conspiracy-theories-republicans-ballot-counting</a></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div><b>Here are the 3 most insane conspiracy theories Republicans are using to subvert democracy and avoid counting every vote</b></div><div>Republicans are scared of democracy. And they have some very creative reasons why.</div><div>By Matthew Chapman / AlterNet November 12, 2018, 9:07 AM GMT</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>Tuesday's election did not go well for Republicans, but it has been getting even worse for them since then as ballots continue to trickle in.</div><div>
</div><div>In Florida's Senate and gubernatorial races, Republicans are panicking at the prospect of a recount even though they hold a narrow lead. Meanwhile in Arizona, the steady counting of mail-in ballots has turned the narrow lead the GOP held in the Senate race on Election Night into a more than 30,000-vote deficit, putting Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema on track to become the first Democrat to win a Senate race there since 1988.</div><div>
</div><div>Republicans have responded to the embarrassments with a long string of conspiracy theories. Here are three of the craziest ones:</div><div>
</div><div>Broward County trucked off a ton of ballots.</div><div>
</div><div>On Thursday, <b>Sen. Marco Rubio retweeted a video,</b> demanding, "Has anyone in local media looked into this claim or asked elections dept about it?"</div><div>
</div><div>The video was originally posted to Twitter by Tim Canova, a local professor and gadfly candidate who twice tried to primary Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, once with Bernie Sanders' blessing, and in this election ran as an independent. A conspiracy theorist who previously suggested Democrats had DNC staffer Seth Rich murdered, Canova, along with the supporter who shot the video, claims it shows filled-out Broward County ballots being illegally loaded into trucks and driven off, possibly to be destroyed and replaced with "fake ballots."</div><div>
</div><div>&nbsp;Embedded video</div><div>
</div><div>Tim Canova</div><div>?</div><div>@Tim_Canova</div><div>&nbsp;Caught On Video: Concerned citizen sees ballots being transported in private vehicles & transferred to rented truck on Election night. This violates all chain of custody requirements for paper ballots. Were the ballots destroyed & replaced by set of fake ballots? Investigate now!</div><div>
</div><div>73.3K</div><div>
</div><div>The video, filmed from a distance, does not actually show what is in the boxes, so there is no evidence they contained filled-out ballots, as opposed to unused ballots or some other kind of election equipment. Even Canova himself acknowledged this, but added "the video itself demands an investigation."</div><div>
</div><div><b>Incredibly, Canova is now running interference for GOP Gov. Rick Scott as he tries to demonize Broward County supervisor Brenda Snipes, find a pretext to shut down the vote tally, and declare himself the winner of his race against incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson without a state-mandated recount. </b>"For two years, I have been warning that the Broward Supervisor of Elections office is a swamp of corruption," Canova wrote in an op-ed for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "I'm sure Gov. Scott now wishes he had heeded those warnings."</div><div>
</div><div>It makes no sense for the GOP to claim a far-left independent's conspiracy theory about his ballots being "stolen" somehow proves Republicans are being targeted and that the fix is to stop counting ballots. But logical consistency doesn't seem to be their strong point.</div><div>
</div><div>The Arizona ballot dispute is linked to Operation Fast and Furious.</div><div>On Saturday, as Sinema's lead over GOP Rep. Martha McSally in the Arizona Senate race grew steadily larger, National Republican Senatorial Committee communications director Calvin Moore tweeted an attack on Maricopa County elections recorder Adrian Fontes:</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>Calvin Moore</div><div>@CalvinMoore</div><div>&nbsp;WOW. The AZ election official destroying evidence to cook the books for @kyrstensinema defended narco-terrorists.</div><div>
</div><div>Now it’s all making sense why he’s stretching the rules for Kyrsten “I Don’t Care If Americans Join The Taliban” Sinema. #AZSENhttps://www.foxnews.com/politics/arizona-election-official-at-center-represented-ringleader-of-gun-straw-buyer-in-fast-and-furious …</div><div>
</div><div><b>Election official in Arizona's Senate dispute represented figure in 'Fast and Furious' arms scandal</b></div><div>
</div><div>Arizona’s Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes, who is being accused by the GOP of destroying evidence to cover up “voting irregularities,” has previously defended the accused ringleader of a gun...</div><div>
</div><div>Moore is referring to the fact that Fontes, when he was working as an attorney, defended a group of straw buyers who were tracked as part of the 2010 ATF "gunwalking" scandal. Under a sting operation at the beginning of President Barack Obama's administration, called "Operation Fast and Furious," federal agents let licensed firearms dealers sell to gun runners, hoping to track them over the border to the Mexican drug cartels and make larger arrests. Unfortunately, they lost track of the illegal shipments, and the guns ended up being used in a number of crimes, including the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, and provoked diplomatic tensions between Mexico and the United States.</div><div>
</div><div>The failure of this operation became a rallying cry of Republicans arguing Obama was soft on crime or corrupt. But why representing defendants caught in this sting would discredit Fontes' ability to administer the election is left to the imagination.</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Furthermore, as even outgoing Republican Sen. Jeff Flake made clear, Moore can't seem to provide any evidence for his claim that Fontes is "destroying evidence to cook the books for Kyrsten Sinema."</span></div><div>
</div><div><b>Arizona election officials are in league with George Soros.</b></div><div>
</div><div>George Soros, a liberal Hungarian-born billionaire philanthropist and Holocaust survivor who has devoted much of his fortune to promoting democracy in Eastern Europe, has been the repeated focus of vicious, and often anti-Semitic, conspiracy theories from the far right. So it is perhaps little wonder that the GOP also tried to drag his name into all of this.</div><div><b>
</b></div><div><b>This weekend, the Arizona Republican Party filed a public records request seeking any interaction between Soros and the Maricopa County elections office.</b></div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>Daniel Dale</div><div>?</div><div>@ddale8</div><div>&nbsp;Conspiracymongering via FOI: via @brahmresnik, the Arizona Republican Party has filed a freedom of information request for any interactions between the Maricopa County elections office and...George Soros. http://bit.ly/2JUqBLB&nbsp;</div><div>
</div><div>3,501</div><div>10:17 AM - Nov 11, 2018</div><div>Twitter Ads info and privacy</div><div>
</div><div>AZGOPRecordsRequest</div><div>Source document contributed to DocumentCloud by 12 News (12 News).</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>There is, of course, not a shred of evidence Soros had any contact with election administrators in Arizona, but Republicans seem desperate to uncover some. And this rhetoric could have dangerous consequences, especially coming less than a month after a fanatical supporter of President Donald Trump mailed a pipe bomb to Soros' house.</div><div>
</div><div>Taken together, these conspiracy theories paint a picture of a political party that has no interest in objective reality or the integrity of the ballot process, and that will say whatever it takes to cast doubt on their opponents' legitimacy.</div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><h2 class="node-title" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; width: 164px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/former-john-mccain-aides-call-out-despicable-republican-lies-kyrsten-sinemas-arizona-senate-lead" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: 700;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">&nbsp;John McCain aides call out 'despicable' Republican lies as Kyrsten Sinema's Arizona Senate lead rattles Trump's GOP</font></a></h2></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">liar:</font></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ere are five deceitful Republican candidates in key races who been campaigning on protecting Americans’ health coverage while fighting relentlessly to take it away.</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">1. Arizona Senate Candidate Martha McSally</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In the Arizona Senate race, Democratic candidate Kyrsten Sinema has been attacking her GOP opponent, fellow congresswoman Martha McSally, nonstop over health care—stressing that McSally would gladly throw Americans with pre-existing conditions to the wolves. And McSally has responded by insisting that protecting them is a high priority for her. But McSally&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2018/10/25/gop-senate-candidate-health-care-is-not-one-of-the-things-that-matter_partner/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">showed her true colors</a>&nbsp;when, in late October, she snapped at a reporter and asked, “Can we please talk about the things that matter to most voters, instead of repeating the Arizona Democrat Party press releases? Do you have anything to talk about, like the caravan or job opportunities?” And McSally also showed her true colors when, in 2017, she voted for the GOP’s American Health Care Act, which would have repealed the ACA and allowed insurance companies to charge&nbsp;<a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/martha-mcsally-pre-existing-condition-lie_us_5bdf9292e4b01ffb1d03704d" style="text-decoration-line: none;">much higher premiums</a>&nbsp;for Americans with pre-existing conditions.</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">2. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In Wisconsin, Republican Gov. Scott Walker has been running ads insisting that he will protect Americans with pre-existing conditions if reelected. But when Obama was in Milwaukee recently stumping for Walker’s Democratic opponent Tony Evers, he pointed out that Walker has signed on to a GOP lawsuit that seeks to&nbsp;<a href="https://khn.org/news/democratic-gop-attorneys-general-square-off-in-texas-showdown-over-health-law/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">end those protections</a>&nbsp;(Texas v. Azar). Evers has been calling for Walker to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2018/09/17/tony-evers-calls-scott-walker-drop-obamcare-lawsuit/1333835002/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">drop Wisconsin</a>&nbsp;from the lawsuit—which, of course, he hasn’t done. When Walker insists that he is looking out for cancer patients or diabetics who are worried about keeping their health coverage, he is—as Obama asserted in Milwaukee—flat out lying.</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">3. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In 2018, incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz has received a surprisingly strong challenge from Democrat Beto O’Rourke in the Texas Senate race—and health care is one of the issues that O’Rourke has been campaigning on aggressively. Cruz has maintained that protecting Americans with pre-existing conditions is a priority for him, but his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/02/upshot/republicans-pre-existing-conditions-.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;">record says otherwise</a>. Cruz once helped shut down the federal government over his demand that the ACA be reversed, and he happily voted for the American Health Care Act in 2017.</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">4. California Rep. Dana Rohrabacher</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In 2017, incumbent Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher voted for the American Health Care Act. But in 2018, the California congressman has had the audacity to campaign on protecting Americans with pre-existing conditions—and his Democratic challenger, Harley Rouda, has been calling him out. While Rouda has described the ACA as a “<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/14/gop-rep-rohrabacher-democrat-rouda-neck-and-neck-in-california-race.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;">great program</a>,” Rohrabacher has called it “disastrous.” In other words, Rohrabacher is much more interested in playing partisan politics than protecting Americans who have had the misfortune of suffering from cancer, heart disease and other illnesses that insurance companies consider pre-existing conditions.</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">5. Florida Gov. and U.S. Senate Candidate Rick Scott</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Florida’s two-term Republican governor, Rick Scott, is term-limited in the Sunshine State and has been trying to capture Democrat Bill Nelson’s seat in the U.S. Senate. It’s been a tight race, with some polls showing Scott slightly ahead and others showing Nelson slightly ahead—and Scott has been running ads asserting that if he is elected to the U.S. Senate, he will help protect Americans with pre-existing conditions. But Scott’s record shows that he is lying.</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Scott has repeatedly called for a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/martha-mcsally-pre-existing-condition-lie_us_5bdf9292e4b01ffb1d03704d" style="text-decoration-line: none;">full repeal</a>&nbsp;of the ACA, and he is among the 20 GOP governors who has signed on to the Texas v. Azar lawsuit. In contrast, Nelson voted for the ACA in 2010. And Florida’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Andrew Gillum, is a strong opponent of Texas v. Azar.</font></p></div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2018/10/23/climate-deniers-cruz-wagner-higgins-harris-desantis-rohrabacher" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">https://www.desmogblog.com/2018/10/23/climate-deniers-cruz-wagner-higgins-harris-desantis-rohrabacher</a></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">as&nbsp;&nbsp;the midterm elections approach, DeSmog is taking this opportunity to&nbsp;highlight some of the top climate science deniers currently running for office in the&nbsp;<span class="caps">U.S.</span></font></div><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Did we miss someone notable? Let us&nbsp;know.</font></p><h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1.28205em; margin-top: 1.28205em; margin-bottom: 1.28205em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Rep. Clay Higgins&nbsp;(R-La)</font></h3><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Recently featured on DeSmog&nbsp;for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2018/10/18/congressman-clay-higgens-gas-industry-three-percenters" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">some of his other extreme views</a>, Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana's Third Congressional District&nbsp;qualifies as a&nbsp;climate science denier on top of being a&nbsp;“warrior” for the natural gas&nbsp;industry.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Higgins told&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/watch-louisiana-rep-clay-higgins-skepticism-human-caused-climate-change" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;"><span class="caps">PBS</span>&nbsp;News Hour</a>&nbsp;in August 2017: “Climate change has always happened, that's my argument, well before, you know, we had four-wheel drive trucks and boats and Suburbans rolling around or, you know, large industrial plants and&nbsp;whatnot.”&nbsp;</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And&nbsp;the climate denier-in-chief&nbsp;<a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/donald-trump" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">Donald Trump</a>, who recently made a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2018/10/17/60-minutes-trump-says-not-denying-climate-change" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">similarly flawed argument on 60 Minutes</a>,&nbsp;tweeted his support: “We want&nbsp;Clay!”</font></p><h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1.28205em; margin-top: 1.28205em; margin-bottom: 1.28205em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">North Carolina’s Ninth Congressional&nbsp;District</font></h3><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">North Carolina was recently devastated by Hurricane Florence, which has raised&nbsp;discussions of climate change in a historically skeptical state. The congressional seat in the Ninth District, which felt the impacts of Florence,&nbsp;is currently up for grabs&nbsp;after the Republican incumbent lost in the&nbsp;primary.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Running on the Republican side is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/election/article219716505.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">Mark Harris</a>, a conservative Baptist preacher and avid Trump supporter. While Harris has run for office before, he has not&nbsp;won.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In 2014 when asked if he believed in climate change, he&nbsp;<a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/21092018/election-florence-north-carolina-climate-change-mccready-harris-trump-women" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">simply said,</a>&nbsp;“No.”&nbsp;</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Running against Harris is Dan McCready,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/election/article218945310.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">a Harvard Business School graduate and former marine</a>&nbsp;who started a solar investment fund after graduating from Harvard. Polls show a tight race. Though both candidates were&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wfae.org/post/harris-mccready-have-first-debate-close-9th-district-race#stream/0" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">asked at a debate</a>&nbsp;about their views on public education and&nbsp;climate change, neither directly answered the&nbsp;question.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This remains a close race as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/election/article219662385.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">in two&nbsp;recent polls</a>&nbsp;McCready led in one and Harris led in the other&nbsp;(although both were within the margin of error). McCready does have&nbsp;a major fundraising advantage over Harris for the&nbsp;last weeks of the campaign making this a competitive race in a district that was expected to be an easy win for&nbsp;Republicans.&nbsp;</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And while the candidates&nbsp;<a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/21092018/election-florence-north-carolina-climate-change-mccready-harris-trump-women" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">aren't talking about climate change</a>, their future constituents increasingly are.&nbsp;As The Washington Post recently reported, the state's extreme weather has been making believers out of former climate deniers. One&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/in-north-carolina-hurricanes-do-what-scientists-could-not-persuade-republicans-that-climate-change-is-real/2018/10/17/45136c56-d0ac-11e8-8c22-fa2ef74bd6d6_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.148d9126fcb2" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">Trump supporter reportedly said</a>, “I always thought climate change was a bunch of nonsense, but now I really do think it is&nbsp;happening.”</font></p><h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1.28205em; margin-top: 1.28205em; margin-bottom: 1.28205em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Florida&nbsp;Governor&nbsp;Race</font></h3><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The race to be the next Governor of Florida will conclude long before the recovery from&nbsp;Hurricane Michael does. Notably, the current governor of Florida, Rick Scott,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article12983720.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">banned use of the phrase “climate change”</a>&nbsp;in government&nbsp;communications.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Republican candidate is Ron DeSantis, a three-term Congressman who recently resigned from Congress to run full-time for governor. DeSantis is a Trump favorite, with the President&nbsp;recently tweeting: “A great Congressman and top student at Harvard&nbsp;<span class="amp">&</span>&nbsp;Yale.”</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In a&nbsp;<a href="https://theweek.com/speedreads/803096/florida-governor-candidates-andrew-gillum-ron-desantis-talk-climate-change-race-tampa-debate" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">recent debate&nbsp;</a>DeSantis said he doesn’t “want to be an alarmist” — a favorite term of climate science deniers — when talking about climate change, despite commenting&nbsp;shortly after Hurricane Michael devastated the&nbsp;panhandle.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Democratic candidate Andrew Gillum&nbsp;<a href="https://newsone.com/3832805/gillum-desantis-florida-debate-takeaways/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">got straight to the point</a>, saying&nbsp;if he is elected, the people of Florida will “have a governor who believes in science, which we haven't had for quite some time in this state.” He&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wlrn.org/post/analysts-florida-2018-governors-race-most-interesting-memory" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">is also campaigning</a>&nbsp;on cutting greenhouse gas emissions and shifting to renewable&nbsp;energy.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">For a state battling climate-fueled<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/miami-floods-sea-level-rise-solutions-2018-4" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">&nbsp;sea level rise,</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2018/10/21/mexico-beach-house-hurricane-michael-trump-climate-denier-politicians" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">hurricanes,&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2018/08/02/pollution-policies-toxic-algae-red-tide-cyanobacteria-florida-lake-okeechobee" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">toxic algae</a>, a belief in science in the state house would indeed be a&nbsp;novelty.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The co-owner of the only house on Mexico Beach&nbsp;that survived Hurricane Michael with barely any damage&nbsp;summed up the reality when&nbsp;<a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2018/10/21/mexico-beach-house-hurricane-michael-trump-climate-denier-politicians" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">speaking with DeSmog’s Julie Dermansky</a>: “I’m tired of politicians lying to us. The American people need to understand they are lying. The people who are denying climate change are not telling the truth.” Incidentally, he's a&nbsp;Republican.&nbsp;</font></p><h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1.28205em; margin-top: 1.28205em; margin-bottom: 1.28205em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-<span class="caps">CA</span>)</font></h3><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Rep. Rohrabacher is a longtime Congressman representing Orange County, California, who is known for&nbsp;climate denying&nbsp;<a href="http://www.laist.com/2018/09/27/in_this_oc_congressional_race_its_surfing_climate_change_skeptic_v_former-republican-turned-liberal.php?ga=2.38388131.1405255288.1540199394-1724306958.1539932064" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">statements such as</a>, “I disagree with the theory that&nbsp;<span class="caps">CO2</span>, done by mankind, is a major cause for climate&nbsp;change.”</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Despite his district's typically conservative history (though Hillary Clinton beat Trump there by two points in 2016), Rohrabacher finds himself in a competitive race against Democrat Harley Rouda.&nbsp;Last week the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-gop-money-20181012-story.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">Los Angeles Times reported&nbsp;</a>that a<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;national Super&nbsp;<span class="caps">PAC</span>&nbsp;closely aligned with House Speaker Paul Ryan&nbsp;stopped spending money on Rohrabacher’s race — a troubling sign for his campaign— but perhaps a positive one for the&nbsp;climate.</span></font></p><h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1.28205em; margin-top: 1.28205em; margin-bottom: 1.28205em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Texas Senate&nbsp;Race</font></h3><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Former Republican presidential candidate and incumbent Texas Senator Ted Cruz is well known&nbsp;<a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2016/03/27/where-do-remaining-presidential-candidates-stand-climate-issues" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">for his climate denialism</a>. Now facing a tough challenge from newcomer Beto O’Rourke, Cruz gave a classic non-response to a question about climate change in a recent&nbsp;debate.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Of course, the climate is changing,”&nbsp;<a href="https://thinkprogress.org/texas-senate-beto-ourourke-cruz-climate-change-debate-4c72e8fee2cd/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">Cruz said</a>.&nbsp;“The climate has been changing since the dawn of&nbsp;time.”&nbsp;</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">On the other hand, Cruz’s opponent O’Rourke was quite clear on his position on climate change at the debate:&nbsp;“The climate is changing. And man-made climate change is a&nbsp;fact.”</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In a state that suffered&nbsp;<a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2018/01/08/hurricane-harvey-was-years-costliest-us-disaster-125-billion-damages/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">$125 billion in damages</a>&nbsp;from Hurricane Harvey — which&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/harvey-houston-most-extreme-rains-ever-major-us-city" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">broke rainfall records</a>&nbsp;for&nbsp;a continental&nbsp;<span class="caps">U.S.</span>city —&nbsp;<a href="http://climatecommunication.yale.edu/visualizations-data/ycom-us-2018/?est=happening&type=value&geo=state&id=48" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">70 percent of adults agree</a>&nbsp;global warming is happening, though only 42 percent believe that it will harm them&nbsp;personally.</font></p><h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1.28205em; margin-top: 1.28205em; margin-bottom: 1.28205em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Pennsylvania Governor&nbsp;Race</font></h3><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">After belittling&nbsp;as “a little young and naive” an 18-year-old constituent&nbsp;who asked him about climate change (and his campaign contributions from the fossil fuel industry),&nbsp;<b>Pennsylvania Republican candidate for governor&nbsp;</b><a href="http://www2.philly.com/philly/news/politics/scott-wagner-pa-gop-pennsylvania-governors-race-nominee-climate-change-activist-20180719.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;"><b>Scott Wagner</b>&nbsp;said</a>, “Are we here to elect a governor, or are we here to elect a&nbsp;scientist?"&nbsp; I[vid] In past comments, Wagner has used typical denier talking points when discussing&nbsp;climate change,&nbsp;<a href="https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2017/03/28/wagner-keynotes-for-natural-gas-advocates-in-harrisburg/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">saying</a>: “I haven’t been in a science class in a long time, but the earth moves closer to the sun every year — you know the rotation of the earth. We’re moving closer to the&nbsp;sun.”</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">He went on to say: “We have more people. You know, humans have warm bodies. So is heat coming off? Things are changing, but I think we are, as a society, doing the best we&nbsp;can.”</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In case you were wondering:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politifact.com/pennsylvania/statements/2017/mar/31/scott-wagner/pa-gopers-climate-change-theory-debunked-nope-not-/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">No, human body heat is not causing climate change</a>&nbsp;and neither is the position of the Earth to the sun. And no,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2018/10/07/ipcc-report-says-1-5c-climate-target-reachable-only-rapid-fossil-fuel-phase-out" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">climate scientists don't think we're doing the best we can</a>.</font></p><h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1.28205em; margin-top: 1.28205em; margin-bottom: 1.28205em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Notable&nbsp;Mentions</font></h3><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In a debate for the open Senate seat in Arizona, Republican candidate Martha&nbsp;<b>McSally</b>&nbsp;responded to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/video/2018/10/16/Arizona-Republic-reporter-asks-a-readers-question-about-climate-change-during-Senate-debat/221707" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">a question about climate change</a>&nbsp;by saying, “I can’t believe this is the last question” and didn’t directly give an answer.&nbsp;Democratic candidate Kyrsten Sinema said, “I do believe that climate change is&nbsp;real.”</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">However, in response to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-environment/2018/10/08/arizona-elections-where-candidates-stand-climate-change-water-urban-heat-issues/1534527002/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">similar question by the Arizona Republic</a>&nbsp;earlier this month,&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">McSally, a representative who has&nbsp;<a href="http://scorecard.lcv.org/moc/martha-mcsally" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">frequently voted against the climate</a>,&nbsp;acknowledged: “Our environment and the Earth's climate are changing and<b>&nbsp;there is likely a human element to it.</b>” But she went on to call Obama's signature climate change program, the Clean Power Plan, “crushing regulation” and failed to offer any specific approach to addressing climate change in&nbsp;Arizona.</span></font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Not exactly denial but not exactly embracing the scientific consensus&nbsp;either.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">And while Sen. Marco Rubio (R-<span class="caps">FL</span>) isn't up for reelection this year, he lost no time in the wake of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2018/10/21/mexico-beach-house-hurricane-michael-trump-climate-denier-politicians" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">Hurricane Michael's&nbsp;devastation</a>&nbsp;to unleash a string of climate denial talking points,&nbsp;including doubt&nbsp;that&nbsp;<a href="https://skepticalscience.com/its-not-us.htm" target="_blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">climate change is substantially&nbsp;caused by human activity</a>.</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">When asked by&nbsp;<span class="caps">CNN</span>’s Jake Tapper what he would tell his children 20 years from now about what he did to help stop the impacts of climate change, Rubio didn’t have good news for the kids:&nbsp;“We’re going to have to do something … But I’m also not going to destroy our economy. There’s a reality&nbsp;here.”</font></p><p style="margin: 1em 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Check out this video for more of Rubio’s views on climate&nbsp;change.</font></p><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">...[curbelo]</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/strategies-let-super-pacs-delay-revealing-their-donors-until-after-elections-are-gaining-popularity">https://www.alternet.org/strategies-let-super-pacs-delay-revealing-their-donors-until-after-elections-are-gaining-popularity</a></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">NEW</font></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Strategies That Let Super PACs Delay Revealing Their Donors Until After Elections Are Gaining Popularity — With Both Parties</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In total, super PACs have spent at least $21.6 million this cycle in 78 congressional races before disclosing who donated that money — $15.7 million of it during primary races. In many cases, that disclosure came after voters had gone to the polls.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ProPublica October 10, 2018, 2:21 AM GMT</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;no many lnx</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Allies of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell used a blind spot in campaign finance laws to undercut a candidate from their own party this year — and their fingerprints remained hidden until the primary was already over.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Super PACs, which can raise and spend unlimited sums of money in elections, are supposed to regularly disclose their funders. But in the case of Mountain Families PAC, Republicans managed to spend $1.3 million against Don Blankenship, a mustachioed former coal baron who was a wild-card candidate for a must-win West Virginia Senate seat, in May without revealing who was supplying the cash.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The move worked like this: Start a new super PAC after a deadline for reporting donors and expenses, then raise and spend money before the next report is due. Timed right, a super PAC might get a month or more undercover before being required to reveal its donors. And if a super PAC launches right before the election, voters won’t know who’s funding it until after they go to the polls.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The strategy — which is legal — is proving increasingly popular among Democrats and Republicans. The amount of super PAC spending during the 2016 congressional primaries in which the first donor disclosure occurred after the primary election totaled $9 million. That figure increased to $15.6 million during the 2018 congressional primaries and special elections.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Backers of Mountain Families PAC didn’t respond to a request for comment. It is one of 63 super PACs this election cycle that have managed to spend money to influence races and postpone telling voters who funded them, according to an analysis by Politico and ProPublica of Federal Election Commission data.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Voters bear much of the cost when they head to the polls without information on who funded a PAC that tried to sway their votes, said Meredith McGehee, executive director at the nonpartisan watchdog group Issue One.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“The whole idea behind disclosure is that one of the factors that voters can, and understandably should, take into account in judging the message is who the messenger is,” McGehee said.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>In total, super PACs have spent at least $21.6 million this cycle in 78 congressional races before disclosing who donated that money — $15.7 million of it during primary races. In many cases, that disclosure came after voters had gone to the polls.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Super PACs were created after the Supreme Court in the Citizens United decision ruled that people and corporations had the right to spend unlimited amounts of money on independent expenditures such as funding ads or mailers, but that they couldn’t hide that spending from the public.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But while they can’t keep donors secret forever, super PACs are increasingly figuring out methods of temporarily masking donor identities that are either legal or fall into gray areas that rarely attract regulators’ attention.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">One tactic is the one Mountain Families PAC used, which is likely to be replicated for the general election. A new super PAC that starts between Oct. 18 and Nov. 6 could spend money right before Election Day without having to disclose its donors until after the midterm results are tallied. (There are 11 super PACs that together have spent at least $5.8 million since the primaries but should begin disclosing their donors on Oct. 15, when the next FEC filing is due.)</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Another involves going into debt to pay for advertising and other campaign-related activities, and fundraising later to pay off those debts. A super PAC that does this would not have to disclose donors until well after the money is spent.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In the case of Mountain Families PAC, Blankenship was increasingly popular among the state’s anti-Washington set. So D.C. Republicans behind the PAC avoided disclosing they were behind ads attacking Blankenship — “Isn’t there enough toxic sludge in Washington?” asked one of them — until after the primary.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Then they revealed their identity and dissolved the super PAC entirely.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Here are more examples of PACs that have delayed disclosing their donors this cycle — and how they did it:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>
</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>As Republican Martha McSally battled two opponents in the Arizona Senate primary, a super PAC called Red and Gold spent $1.7 million attacking McSally, airing television ads that said McSally had supported an “age tax” on older people’s health insurance.</b>&nbsp;But shortly after filing its initial paperwork with the FEC, Red and Gold notified the commission it was going to file on a monthly basis, which meant its first disclosure wasn’t due until Sept. 20, three weeks after the primary election.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">When Red and Gold finally disclosed its funders, it was revealed that Senate Majority PAC, which is aligned with Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, was the main funder of Red and Gold and had meddled in the primary in an attempt to hurt McSally’s chances of victory and boost a weaker Republican. Chris Hayden, spokesman for Senate Majority PAC, said that “Senate Majority PAC and Red and Gold have followed the FEC reporting schedule and follow the law governing super PACs.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A super PAC called Ohio First PAC has been in operation since the start of April and has spent $774,822 helping Republican Jim Renacci in the Ohio Senate race. But it has only disclosed raising $79,200 from donors. Instead of disclosing donations, Ohio First’s filings with the FEC show the committee has hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt to vendors for advertising and mailers, and almost no fundraising yet. The PAC did not respond to a request for comment.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The FEC has sent the PAC twoletters about possible late filings for some of its spending; the committee said in correspondence in August that it is working to resolve any issues.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">During the week leading up to a seven-way Democratic primary in Illinois in March, a super PAC called SunshinePAC blitzed the battleground 6th Congressional District with $130,000 in mailers and phone calls. Because it started spending money so late in the race, SunshinePAC didn’t have to reveal its donors before the primary.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But nearly a month after the election, SunshinePAC revealed its lone funder: Tom Casten, the father of primary contender Sean Casten — raising questions about whether the super PAC was really independent from the campaign. By then, Sean Casten had eked out a victory in the primary by 2,177 votes.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Tom Casten said in an interview that “there was no effort or conversation about reporting in the delayed form” when he gave to SunshinePAC, and that “I certainly didn’t ask for it.” Greg Bales, campaign manager for Casten for Congress, said in an email that “as with any outside group, there was no coordination between Sean or the campaign and that group on their spending or disclosure practices.” SunshinePAC did not respond to a request for comment.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Filed under:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Politics</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for their newsletter.</font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">==</font></div></div></div></div></div>