Environmentalists have outspent the oil and gas industry more than 2-to-1 so far this election cycle, according to federal campaign finance data.
Environmental interests pumped more than $43.8 million in “outside spending” so far this election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP), a government watchdog that compiles campaign finance data.
All of it went to liberal candidates, groups and causes, CRP’s campaign finance data shows.
That’s nearly two and a half times as much as oil and gas interests have put towards “outside spending” this election cycle. CRP data shows oil and gas interests spent more than $18.3 million this cycle.
Mining interests spent even less at just over $3.5 million, and electric utilities put around $2.9 million towards outside expenditures. Most oil, gas, mining, and utility donations went to conservatives, CRP reported.
CRP defines outside spending as “political expenditures made by groups or individuals independently of, and not coordinated with, candidates’ committees.” Basically, this is spending on advertisements, rallies and activities separate that aren’t coordinated with candidates for office.
The surge of environmentalist funding makes sense in the broader political context. Polls suggest Democrats are poised to gain seats in the House, but key red state Senate Democrats face tough reelection battles.
However, environmentalists outspending oil and gas interests isn’t necessarily a new development. Environmentalists spent more than $140.8 million during the 2016 election, compared to the oil and gas industry’s $39.1 million in outside spending.
About $14 million of environmentalist spending this cycle came from organizations, while around $29 million came from individuals affiliated with eco-groups and causes, according to CRP data.
Spending from individuals, however, almost exactly match spending by San Francisco billionaire Tom Steyer, who founded the environmental group NextGen Climate Action. Steyer’s given NextGen more than $29 million this election cycle, CRP figures show.
Steyer was the single largest donor in the 2016 election cycle, spending more than $89.7 million, and bundled donations for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Steyer made his name among liberal activists opposing the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
All but $250,000 of Steyer’s outside spending this election cycle went to NextGen Climate Action. The money Steyer didn’t give the environmental group went to his multi-million dollar “Need to Impeach” campaign.
Read more at Daily Caller
The problem the Democrat sugar daddies have is the party has taken a hard Bernie left .
Very tough sell with good economic performance and even the global warming hoax over . How is that ice free Arctic looking ?
The USA is screwed as long as Super PACs of string pulling billionaires act out their
god complex . Get rid of Super PACS and illegal voters so some of the intelligent and morally centered people have a chance .
Almost 400 million people and the choice was Clinton , Trump and Sanders ?
Of course Canada picked a PC , pretty boy to be king for four years so maybe it’s harder than it seems .
You always get the usial poppycock from the greens like maybe fake pictures of the starving polar bear underlined twice in red DONT LET TRUMP KILLS THE BEARS SEND US $500 AND AS A FREE GIFT YOU CAN CHOOSE FROM AL GORE A INCONVENT SEQEUL or LEONARDO DiCAPRIOS BEFORE THE FLOOD AND FOR THE KIDS A LITTLE STUFFED POLAR BEAR TOY the usial malarkey from the Greens