As
you may be aware, Peaceworks and our allies in Sierra Club have joined in a
campaign to “Vote for the Climate.” What this means, in a nutshell is that we
recognize that we’re in a Climate Emergency—that climate change is an
existential threat—and thus, before we go to vote, we need to look at where the
candidates stand on this constellation of concerns. It also means, if a
candidate has not communicated where they stand on the climate, that we should
be asking them; we need to let them know that prompt and effective action to
address climate change is imperative.
Yes,
we’re the folks behind the green and white “Vote for the Climate” yard signs
popping up all around town like mushrooms after a spring rain. The signs are
out there to remind folks how important climate action is and to encourage
citizens to scope out where candidates stand before voting.
Peaceworks doesn’t endorse, support or oppose candidates, but we do educate our
community as to where the candidates stand. A few months ago we did a candidate
survey and published their response on our website at: http://blog.midmopeaceworks.org/2022/07/candidates-on-climatewhere-do-they-stand.html. Some candidates
responded, others, despite repeated reaching out on our part and extending the
deadline, declined to respond. We hope you will read through what the
candidates who responded had to say as well as communicating to those who
didn’t respond to let them know you’re interested in knowing where they stand.
Below you will find the names of all the candidates running for legislative
seats—federal and state—that Boone County voters will find on their ballots,
along with indication as to whether the candidates responded to the survey and
links to what they might have on their campaign websites that indicates their
positions on climate issues. If you are interested in knowing where candidates
who have not posted their positions stand, or in letting them know your
concerns, you can usually contact them through their websites, so we’ve
included links for these, whether or not the candidate has shared their
positions on climate concerns.
For U.S. Senator:
Eric Schmitt, Republican Party: Did not
respond to survey. Website does not mention climate change but does address
energy policy in reference to “Saving Our Jobs” at https://schmittforsenate.com/issues/
Trudy Busch Valentine, Democratic Party: Did respond to survey. Addresses
climate change in a website section “Protecting the Environment” at https://www.trudybuschvalentine.com/issue/protecting-the-environment/
Jonathan Dine, Libertarian Party: Did not respond to survey. Does not have a
campaign website.
Paul Venable, Constitution Party: Did
respond to survey. Does not refer to climate change in the issues section of
his website: https://youwinmissouri.org/positions/
For U.S. Representative, District 3:
Blaine Luetkemeyer, Republican Party:
Did not respond to survey. Does not mention climate change but does
address energy policy in a section on “Energy Independence” at: https://www.blaineforcongress.com/issue/energy-independence/
Bethany Mann, Democratic Party: Did
respond to survey. Addresses climate change in a website section on
“Environment” at: https://bethanymannforcongress.com/environment/
For U.S. Representative, District 4:
Mark Alford, Republican Party: Did not respond to survey. Does not address
climate change on his website: https://www.alfordforcongress.com/
Jack Truman, Democratic Party: Did respond to survey. Does not address climate
change on his website: https://truman4congress.blogspot.com/
Randy Langkraehr, Libertarian Party: Did not respond to survey. Does not have a
campaign website.
For
State Representative, District 44:
Cheri Toalson Reisch, Republican Party:
Did not respond to survey. Does not have a campaign website.
Dave Raithel, Democratic Party: Did respond to survey. Does not address climate change on his campaign
website, https://daveraithelforthe44th.com.
For State Representative, District 45:
Kathy
Steinhoff, Democratic Party: Did respond to survey. Addresses climate change in
a website section “Climate Change” on her website at: https://www.upballot.com/kathy-steinhoff/issues/
For State Representative, District 46:
David Tyson Smith, Democratic Party: Did not respond to survey. Addresses
climate change in a website section “Environment Climate Change” at: https://www.davidtysonsmith.com/platform.html
For State Representative, District 47:
John Martin, Republican Party: Did not respond to survey. Does not address
climate change on his website: https://martinfor47.com/
Adrian
Plank, Democratic Party: Did respond to
survey. Does not mention climate change, but does address energy policy on his
website in a section “Environment” at: https://www.adrianplank.com/values/
For State Representative, District 50:
James Musgraves, Republican Party: Did
not respond to survey. Does not address climate change on his website: https://jamesmusgravesformissouri.com/
Douglas Mann, Democratic Party: Did
respond to survey. Does not address climate change on his website: https://www.upballot.com/douglas-mann/
We encourage those concerned about climate change to make your concerns known
and hope you will share this information. And, regardless of who wins these
races, it will be important to let them know that we want and need serious
climate action now.
