WASHINGTON — Motorists who fill up with $3 gas on their way to the election booth on Tuesday could be forgiven if they aren’t giving a lot of thought to energy and the environment.
But those issues underlie a number of races around the country, and while votes won’t immediately dictate many policies on issues ranging from climate change to drilling, they could shift the prospect for changes in the nation’s capital.
Some advocacy groups have been working hard — and spending big — to make energy and environment a top-tier issue before Tuesday’s elections.
From Oct. 20 to 26, more TV advertisements tied to Senate races were focused on energy or the environment than on Obamacare, immigration, government spending and a host of other issues, according to data from Kantar Media Intelligence. The 14,888 individual airings of ads devoted to energy or the environment during that time frame were almost evenly split, with 55 percent favoring Republicans and 45 percent devoted to Democrats.
“That’s one signal that energy and environmental issues are a part of the conversation, though obviously the economy and jobs is the lead with voters,” noted Daniel Weiss, the senior vice president for campaigns with the League of Conservation Voters.
That’s especially true in swing states for Senate elections.
A survey conducted in five of those states by Hart Research Associates for the League of Conservation Voters, NextGen Climate Action and NRDC Action Fund found that 56 percent had heard about candidates’ positions on energy issues, placing it fourth behind abortion, jobs and the economy and healthcare. Energy issues bested immigration, environmental protection and climate change, which has nonetheless been a sparring point in a number of debates between Senate candidates, including those in Kentucky, Georgia and Louisiana.
Here’s a look at some some Election Day contests — and possible outcomes — with big energy implications.
