| WASHINGTON
- November 7 - The nation's governors became a little greener on Tuesday,
as Jim McGreevey (D-NJ) and Mark Warner (D-VA) were swept into office.
Both McGreevey and Warner were endorsed by the Sierra Club, and the
environment played a role in both elections, where the candidates pledged
to protect clean water and rein in suburban sprawl.
"The environment was the big winner on Tuesday. The citizens of New Jersey
and Virginia can trust that their air and water, shorelines and parks are
in safer hands as a result of the choices they made in the ballot booth,"
said Margaret Conway, Sierra Club Political Director. "Voters care about
improving quality of life and protecting the environment, and they
responded by electing pro-environment governors in New Jersey and
Virginia."
In both states, all of the candidates jockeyed to claim the environmental
mantle.
In Virgina, Mark Warner stood out for his plans to protect water quality,
curb out-of-state waste, safeguard open space, and clean up the Chesapeake
Bay. The Virginia Sierra Club endorsed Warner, reaching out to its 13,000
members and the rest of Virginia through media work, volunteers, and
distributing thousands of educational pieces on the race.
The New Jersey race featured an even greater emphasis on the environment,
with open space protection serving as a major issue along with protecting
clean air and water. A story in last week's Philadelphia Inquirer,
headlined "Environment Stands Out As An Election Day issue" noted that the
environment is "an apple-pie issue in New Jersey," according to David
Rebovich, a political science professor at Rider University in
Lawrenceville. "Jerseyans are not just being politically correct, but
they recognize the importance of the environment for their personal quality
of life, the state's economy, and the value of their homes."
The New Jersey Sierra Club felt McGreevey stood out on those issues and
endorsed him in August, calling Bret Schundler a "threat to the
environment." McGreevey touted his Sierra Club endorsement in an October
10 debate, citing the endorsement as proof that he was the candidate who
would protect New Jersey's open space. The New Jersey Sierra Club also
supported McGreevey by mobilizing its 20,000 state members, generating
press, and activating dozens of volunteers to turn out the vote for
McGreevey.
"The Sierra Club is energized by our victories in 2001 and we will use them
as a springboard for our activities in 2002," Conway said. "Today's wins
show that voters elect candidates who are committed to protecting the
environment and who back up that position with credible policies.
The Sierra Club is the nation's oldest and largest grassroots environmental
organization with over 700,000 members throughout the United States.
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