NEW POLL: 83 PERCENT OF OHIO VOTERS SUPPORT #50BY30
Ohioans More Likely to Vote for Presidential Candidates Who Support Clean Energy
NextGen Climate today released new polling showing that Ohio voters—including a majority of Republicans—overwhelmingly support powering our country with more than 50 percent clean energy by 2030, and are more likely to support a presidential candidate with a bold plan to accelerate our transition to a clean energy economy. In a poll of Ohio voters conducted by Anzalone Liszt Grove Research, 83 percent of voters favor NextGen Climate’s #50by30 goal, including 75 percent of Republicans. The poll finds that 42 percent are more likely to vote for a presidential candidate who supports #50by30, while only 14 percent are less likely.
“Ohio voters want our next president to be a champion for clean energy and they’re ready to make their voices heard at the ballot box,” said NextGen Climate Ohio State Director Joanne Pickrell. “For Ohioans, powering our country with more than 50 percent clean energy by 2030 will create up to 56,000 jobs—including thousands of jobs in the construction sector—while growing the state’s economy by up to $9.5 billion.”
In the Buckeye State, there’s a clear electoral advantage for presidential candidates who support #50by30. Ohio voters are much more likely to vote for a presidential candidate who has endorsed #50by30, and say that a candidate’s clean energy position will influence their choice on Election Day. After hearing that Marco Rubio opposes #50by30, 43 percent of Ohio voters are less likely to support him, and 36 percent of voters are less likely to vote for Donald Trump based on his opposition to clean energy.
For Ohio voters, addressing climate change is an urgent issue: 78 percent of voters say that a candidate who supports #50by30 "understands that it is time to stop talking and start doing something about transitioning to clean energy.” Addressing climate change is seen as both a responsible economic opportunity and critical to protecting their children’s future and clean air and safe water. 77 percent of voters believe that presidential candidates who support climate action are both leaving an important legacy for our children and grandchildren and ensuring that our air and water stays safe.
The release of the poll comes just a day after NextGen Climate President Tom Steyer traveled to Ohio to engage community leaders, health advocates and young voters on the impact climate change is already having on communities and the need for presidential candidates to commit to #50by30. At the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland yesterday, NextGen Climate hosted a panel discussion on “Climate as a Human Issue” with Steyer, Reverend Dr. Otis Moss III, Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, and Claire Boettler, President of the Ohio Public Health Association and Director of Prevention & Wellness at the Cuyahoga County Board of Health.
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NextGen Climate
NextGen Climate is focused on bringing climate change to the forefront of American politics. Founded by businessperson and philanthropist Tom Steyer in 2013, NextGen Climate acts politically to prevent climate disaster and promote prosperity for all Americans.