New Poll: Majorities Across Senate Battleground Back Bold Action on Climate

Today, new polls released by Data For Progress found a majority of likely voters, including majorities of independent voters, across key Senate battleground states want bold action to address the climate crisis ravaging the country.

"The politics of climate change have changed, and voters from coast to coast back bold action on climate," said Lori Lodes, Executive Director of Climate Power 2020. "Arizona, Iowa, Maine, and South Carolina could hardly be more different, but solid majorities of voters in each state support building a clean energy economy. This bold policy is a cornerstone of Joe Biden's transformational plan to invest in clean energy infrastructure and combat climate change."

According to the surveys, a majority of likely voters in Arizona, Iowa, South Caroline, and Maine support "the federal government making the necessary investments to achieve 100% carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035."

• In Arizona, 58% of likely voters say they support investments to achieve 100% clean electricity by 2035. Among independents, 54% say they support this goal.
  
• In Iowa, 55% of likely voters say they support investments to achieve 100% clean electricity by 2035. Among independents, 53% say they support this goal.
  
• In Maine, 65% of likely voters say they support investments to achieve 100% clean electricity by 2035. Among independents, 61% say they support this goal.
  
• In South Carolina, 52% of likely voters say they support investments to achieve 100% clean electricity by 2035. Among independents, 57% say they support this goal.

The need for bold action has been front and center in the 2020 election cycle, including an 11-minute long climate change section during the first presidential debate that came as a result of immense public pressure from 71 House Democrats, 37 Democratic Senators, 45 climate organizations, and nearly 200,000 individuals from across the country calling on Chris Wallace to make the climate crisis a central focus of the debates. Before Tuesday's debate, climate change had not been raised in a presidential debate for 20 years.

Climate is a top issue among the voters who will determine this election -- Republican-leaning suburban women, youth voters, and voters of color. For President Trump to secure a second term, he needs to dampen support for Joe Biden among younger Americans and voters of color, while Biden needs to appeal to independent voters -- chiefly women -- who swung from Obama to Trump in 2016 to win.

Today's polls, along with surveys in September, show that Climate change is steadily becoming a key political issue in the 2020 race. Voters from across the political spectrum and across the country have increasingly noted that climate is influencing their enthusiasm to vote and is playing a factor in who they will support up-and-down the ballot next month.