For Immediate Release Contact: Trey Pollard, (202) 495-3058
September 19, 2012
Sierra Club Targets Six House Incumbents With “Toxic Money, Toxic Votes” Campaign
New Ad Campaign Will Highlight Corrosive Influence of Fossil Fuel Industry Money on Incumbents’ Voting Records
View First Ad (CA-07) - View First Mail Piece (CA-07) - View Website
Washington, D.C. — Today, Sierra Club Independent Action launched its new “Toxic Money,
Toxic Votes” campaign, targeting six House incumbents. This effort
will invest significant resources on mail, network and cable television
advertising to highlight the records of incumbents who have put the dangerous
agendas of their big oil, gas, and coal campaign donors ahead of the health of
their constituents and their communities.
“Big oil, gas, and coal companies have been flooding our political system with hundreds of millions of dollars, drowning out the voices of middle-class families and pushing their dirty energy agenda ahead of the needs of everyone else,” said Cathy Duvall, Sierra Club Director of Public Advocacy and Partnerships. “These six incumbents are among the worst of the worst at taking toxic money from fossil fuel billionaires and making toxic votes that threaten the health American families.”
The six incumbents targeted in the “Toxic Money, Toxic Votes” campaign are:
- Rep. Quico Canseco (TX-23)
- Rep. Mike Coffman (CO-06)
- Rep. Chris Gibson (NY-19)
- Rep. Dan Lungren (CA-07)
- Rep. Jim Renacci (OH-16)
- Rep. Bobby Schilling (IL-17)
To kick off the campaign, a new heavy saturation television ad will begin airing today in Rep. Dan Lungren’s district (CA-07). The ad highlights Lungren’s consistent record of voting to gut public health safeguards, let big polluters off the hook for pumping toxins into our air and water, and give Big Oil billions in tax subsidies while taking more than $455,000 in campaign cash from oil and gas companies throughout his political career. The ad will air three hundred times in Lungren’s district over ten days, meaning the average CA-07 voter will see it 10 to 12 times. You can view the ad here.
“Throughout his long political career, Dan Lungren has made it clear that the profits of the Big Oil companies that pumped nearly half a million dollars into his campaigns are more important than the health and safety of California families,” said Duvall. “Whether it’s his consistent votes to dole out billions in tax giveaways to BP and Shell or to shred the protections that keep our air and water clean, Lungren’s put the polluters who pay his way first.”
A mailer amplifying the same message will be sent this week to more than 60,000 homes in Lungren’s district. You can view the mailer here.
Today, Sierra Club Independent Action also launched the “Toxic Money, Toxic Votes” website, which will house all forthcoming mail and TV ads for the campaign. New efforts will be announced in the coming weeks.
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Paid for by Sierra Club Independent Action, www.sierraclub.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. |