For Immediate Release
May 13, 2021
Contact: Emily Samsel, esamsel@lcv.org | McKenzie Wilson, mckenzie@dataforprogress.org
Support for Clean Energy Proposals in American Jobs Plan Through the Roof in Swing, Red States & Congressional Districts
Data for Progress, LCV release new American Jobs Plan poll and modeled data
Washington, D.C. — Data for Progress and the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) today released new modeled state and Congressional district level data showing overwhelming bipartisan support across the country for the investments the American Jobs Plan would make in climate, clean energy, good-paying union jobs and justice. Across 11 swing Congressional districts*, average support for the plan is 78% and in the swing Senate states of Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Nevada, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, an average of 80% of registered voters support the government making investments to create good-paying jobs in clean energy.
VIEW: State & Congressional district-level Support for the American Jobs Plan
The groups conducted a joint poll to assess the attitudes of likely voters towards the American Jobs Plan, specifically the key provisions that address climate change, advance clean energy deployment and domestic manufacturing, support clean water, and advance equity by focusing 40% of the benefits of climate and clean energy infrastructure investments into low-income communities, communities of color and other disadvantaged communities. The Data for Progress team used advanced modeling techniques to estimate support at the Congressional district and state level. More on methodology can be found here.
“Voters have made it overwhelmingly clear that they support the investments of the American Jobs Plan in climate, clean energy jobs, and justice,” said Sean McElwee, Data for Progress Executive Director. “Our polling finds bipartisan support for the climate and clean energy pieces of the proposal, even amongst voters in swing states.
“Standing in the way of progress on climate, clean energy, and environmental justice is simply not an option for any elected official who cares what their constituents think,” saidPete Maysmith, LCV SVP of Campaigns. “From NY-14 to GA-14, the majority of voters from across the political spectrum support investing at least $2 trillion dollars to create good-paying jobs in the clean energy economy while tackling climate change and environmental racism because it is the right thing to do for people and the planet.”
In Arizona, for example, an estimated 79% of voters across the state support the American Jobs Plan, 72% support ensuring the benefits of climate and clean energy investments go to the environmental justice communities long exploited by polluters, and 78% think it’s important that Congress takes action to address climate change. In Arizona’s 1st Congressional district, one of the most politically competitive in the state, an estimated 80% of voters support the American Jobs Plan.
“The American Jobs Plan offers a number of common-sense and widely popular opportunities to put Americans back to work and ensure that their jobs provide competitive wages and good benefits,” said Roxanne Brown, United Steelworkers Vice President at Large. “From building out our nation’s supply chains to making robust infrastructure investments, it’s clear that Americans share the administration’s priorities of rebuilding our nation and securing the jobs of the future.”
“Congress must listen to the majority of voters and ensure that the American Jobs Plan builds healthy communities that are free of toxic pollution, and have access to affordable clean energy and good-paying union jobs,” said Harold Mitchell, founder of the ReGenesis Community Development Corporation, member of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council, and former South Carolina State Representative. “To help achieve these goals, it is imperative that at least 40% of the benefits of our climate and clean energy investments go to the communities of color and low income communities most impacted by toxic pollution and environmental injustices while ensuring the remaining investments do not cause further harm.
In states like Missouri and Texas — represented in the U.S. Senate by extremists like Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz — this new modeling project found that more than 70% of voters support Biden’s American Jobs Plan, when described as “a proposal to invest $2.3 trillion over the next 8 years to create millions of new, good-paying union jobs modernizing America’s infrastructure and transitioning to an equitable clean energy future.”
The Biden-Harris administration set the stage for climate action in their first 100 days and Congress must deliver on the climate and clean energy mandate voters elected them to see through by passing the overwhelmingly popular American Jobs Plan as soon as possible.
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*AZ-01, ME-02, MI-08, MI-11, NJ-03, NV-03, NV-04, PA-08, VA-02, VA-07, WI-03