Boomerang Tuesday: 5 Reasons Election Day Was a Win for the Climate

The electoral backlash has arrived.

Exactly 364 days after Donald Trump won the presidency, the electoral backlash arrived.  And the results from Election Night 2017 appear to be good news for the environment.

Here are five encouraging takeaways from Boomerang Tuesday:



1. Suburban, pro-environment turnout surges
The night was all about voters motivated to reject Trumpism in its many forms, particularly in suburban and exurban areas.

In swing Loudoun County, Virginia, for instance, Trump-aligned gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie – who as a U.S. Senate candidate in 2014 won the county – lost by more than 20,000 votes.  The switch was probably due less to Gillespie losing his voters than to a huge turnout from energized anti-Trumpers.

These voters have a lot of complaints, but polls show the environment is among Trump’s three weakest issues.

Swing suburban areas are full of middle-of-the-road voters who worry about their children being exposed to more air pollution, water pollution, and toxic waste because of severe environmental program cuts.  They came out in force Tuesday.

2. Renewed climate focus in New Jersey, Washington state
Voters in Washington state and New Jersey made choices that will likely result in tangible climate action in the next few months.
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3. Voters respond to climate issues
St. Petersburg, Florida, the heart of the swing “I-4 Corridor” in the biggest swing state, saw an upset victory by a mayoral candidate who made his opponent’s denial of climate science  a central issue.
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4. More millennials cast ballots
Turnout was strong among younger people, too.  In Virginia, turnout among 18- to 29-year-olds rose by nearly one-third over the last gubernatorial election.

If anyone still doubts that millennials will be a huge force in 2018 and 2020, they’re ignoring the evidence.

And because millennials are probably the most environmentally conscious citizens in our nation’s history, getting their vote means more support for action on climate change and other critical issues.

5. Voters send a strong message to both parties
It wasn’t just that President Trump’s preferred candidate lost in Virginia.  It was a shocking and broad electoral drubbing.  The legislative results were called the biggest sweep since 1899.

That massive shift, along with progressive victories from New Hampshire to Georgia, will send a strong message to both parties.
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