Climate activists are lining up behind the never-say-die campaign to draft Elizabeth Warren for a 2016 bid.
Ready for Warren, a group pushing the senator to enter the presidential race, plans to soon unveil “Environmental Activists for Warren,” National Journal has learned. The launch expected to take place later this month is the latest sign that environmentalists fear that Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic frontrunner who announced her candidacy on Sunday, won’t take a strong stand on the issues they care most about.
More than 1,000 volunteers already have signed on to participate, Ready for Warren says, culled from employees, donors, and volunteers for Washington’s most politically powerful green groups, including the Sierra Club, League of Conservation Voters, and Environmental Defense Fund along with progressive organizations such as 350.org, Friends of the Earth, and Greenpeace USA.
“This is one of the largest supporter groups within Ready for Warren, because combating climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing our country over the next four years and beyond,” said Erica Sagrans, the campaign manager for Ready for Warren.
Warren is best known as an anti-Wall Street crusader, not an environmental advocate. But her sharp criticism of the Keystone XL pipeline and disdain for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal that environmentalists worry could weaken environmental protections, has won the senator admiration from climate activists.
