FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
Contact: Sarah Tresedder, sarah.tresedder@sierraclub.org, 906-869-4167
Lansing, MI – Michiganders Tuesday re-elected Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, and put a pro-environment majority in control of the state Legislature, with Democrats winning House and Senate majorities.
In response, Sierra Club’s Political and Legislative team issued the following statements:
“The people of Michigan have spoken loud and clear: voters support candidates who fight for renewable energy and our Great Lakes. We congratulate Governor Whitmer on her decisive win against Tudor Dixon, who failed to embrace climate change solutions. Tuesday’s outcome is a resounding defeat for climate-deniers and polluters and a victory for those who support Gov. Whitmer’s policies and program to protect Michigan and the Great Lakes,” said Christy McGillivray, Sierra Club Michigan’s Political and Legislative Director.
“Sierra Club pulled out all the stops for Governor Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel, and they pulled off stunning victories against the Enbridge-driven spending against them. Sierra Club also pushed hard up and down the ballot to back champions in the State House and State Senate that campaigned hard for clean air and clean water, even while facing attack ads criticizing them for their Sierra Club endorsements.” said Mark Meadows, chair of the Sierra Club Michigan Political Committee, “Tuesday’s outcome is crystal clear: Michigan voters support clean renewable energy and taking on polluters to protect the Great Lakes. Voters were not fooled by the polluter's dark money spending in elections, and our champions won handily.”
“There is much work to be done in the coming years, and with the results of this election Michigan is moving strongly towards a cleaner energy future grounded in equity and justice,” said Tim Minotas, Sierra Club Michigan’s Political and Legislative Coordinator. He continued, “Sierra Club worked hard to make this happen. Sierra Club interns, volunteers, and talked to thousands of voters to lock down the environmental vote. Most importantly, the state legislative champions that took a strong stand to enforce the shut down of Line 5 won big–Betsy Coffia in HD 103 and Jenn Hill in HD 109. These were some of the most competitive races in the state, and Hill and Coffia showed everyone that champions can win big even with Enbridge oil company spending millions to defeat them.”
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About the Sierra Club: The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.8 million members and supporters, 150,000 of which are in Michigan. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org/michigan.