Democrats Need Climate Voters in 2022
Climate voters delivered Democrats their governing majority in 2020. That cycle, more Americans cited climate change among their top voting issues than ever before. Young voters in particular consistently cited climate change as a top issue, and exit polls show Biden’s emphasis on bold climate action paid off: Millennials and Gen Z posted record turnout numbers, and voters under 30 supported Biden by 27 points — an 8-point increase over their support for Clinton in 2016. Key Democratic voting blocs, such as young, Latino, and African American voters, are also strongly motivated by the need for ambitious climate action, and Biden’s margins among those groups were critical to his leads in crucial states such as Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin.
Democrats’ electoral fate depends on their ability to deliver for those voters. If lawmakers fail to pass the Build Back Better Act, 15% of Democrats and nearly a third of Independents (28%) say they will be less motivated to vote for Democrats in the midterm elections. Climate is tied for Black voters’ top priority in infrastructure legislation, meaning failure to pass BBBA will disappoint a core pillar of Democratic support. And notably, the president’s support among young voters—who prioritize climate issues, and helped deliver the president’s victory—dropped to 46% in December 2021, 13 points down from his 59% youth approval in March 2021. That steep drop almost certainly reflects the lost momentum suffered over months of protracted Congressional deliberations. To regain momentum, and voters’ trust, Democrats must act.
Voters Want Climate Action
Democrats won their majority with a pledge to tackle the climate crisis head-on. On election night, President Biden declared that his mandate was to “marshal the forces of science in the great battles of our time... The battle to save our planet, and get our climate under control.” Majority Leader Schumer declared in August 2020 that “When Democrats retake the majority in the Senate, we will unify to move swiftly on legislation to tackle the climate crisis. Passing climate legislation will be a top priority for Senate Democrats and for me.”
In the upcoming midterm elections, voters will have the chance to evaluate the progress Democrats have made so far (or the lack thereof). If Dems miss the mark, they may struggle to turn out climate voters in November. The vast majority of the electorate today is aware of the threat climate change poses: 73% believe climate change will harm future generations, a figure that shoots up to 93% among liberal Democrats. Voters want to see their elected leaders acting on that threat—a whopping four-fifths of voters feel the federal government is responsible for addressing climate change.
That translates to direct support for the Build Back Better Act; a recent Data for Progress poll found that when informed of the plan’s climate and clean energy investments, voters support the Build Back Better Act by a +39-point margin. A majority of voters further feel that Democrats should deliver those climate investments on a party line vote, if necessary. The onus is on Democrats to deliver.
