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U.S. Gubernatorial Incumbents
| Name | State | Party | Position | Position Score | Climate Plan [100% Renewable Energy by 2030] | Climate Plan [Zero Human GHG Emission by 2050] | Climate Plan [Fossil Fuels in the Ground] | Climate Plan [Carbon Dioxide Removal] | Climate Plan [100% Renewable Energy by 2030] | Climate Plan [Zero Human GHG Emission by 2050] | Climate Plan [Fossil Fuels in the Ground] | Climate Plan [Carbon Dioxide Removal] | Climate Plan Score | Leadership | Leadership Score | Carbon Fee | Carbon Fee Score | Climate Calculation | Sources |
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U.S. Gubernatorial Challengers
| Name | State | Party | Position | Position Score | Climate Plan [100% Renewable Energy by 2030] | Climate Plan [Zero Human GHG Emission by 2050] | Climate Plan [Fossil Fuels in the Ground] | Climate Plan [Carbon Dioxide Removal] | Climate Plan [100% Renewable Energy by 2030] | Climate Plan [Zero Human GHG Emission by 2050] | Climate Plan [Fossil Fuels in the Ground] | Climate Plan [Carbon Dioxide Removal] | Climate Plan Score | Leadership | Leadership Score | Carbon Fee | Carbon Fee Score | Climate Calculation | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McAuliffe, Terry | Virginia | Democrat | Virginia Gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe understands the importance of climate action as a top priority issue. According to McAuliffe's campaign website, "Climate change presents a tremendous threat to our communities, health and economic well-being. Virginia, until recently, has failed to adopt progressive policies to protect our environment and mitigate the effects of climate change because of the former Republican-controlled legislature... As Virginia’s next Governor, Terry will champion bold and progressive initiatives that will protect our environment, allow Virginia to achieve its 100% Clean Energy Standard, decarbonize the transportation sector and lift up historically disadvantaged communities that have been impacted the most." | 100 | No | N/A | Yes | N/A | Virginia Gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe does not support switching to 100% renewable energy sources by 2030, instead aiming to reach 100% renewable energy by the slightly less ambitious date of 2035. According to McAuliffe's campaign website, "Terry McAuliffe today released his bold plan to tackle climate change and secure Virginia’s clean energy future by setting an aggressive target to reach 100% clean energy by 2035, aligning Virginia with President Biden’s climate goals and efforts to pass a federal climate and infrastructure bill this year." | Virginia Gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe does not take a clear position or is inconsistent, on the elimination of all human-made, greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Only the complete elimination of these greenhouse gas emissions will lead to a slow reduction in the atmosphere over the next century. Vote Climate U.S. PAC’s call to eliminate all human-made CO2 and methane emissions surpasses that of a net-zero carbon emission or a carbon neutral economy by 2050, which we do not believe goes far enough toward the elimination of fossil fuels. | Virginia Gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe supports taking action to keep fossil fuels in the ground. According to McAuliffe's climate change plan, "Together, we can develop the technologies and train the workforce we need to transition away from fossil fuels, while protecting Virginia’s consumers." McAuliffe's plan also aims to "Accelerate Virginia’s path to 100% clean energy by 2035," eliminating the reliance on fossil fuels. | Virginia Gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe does not take a clear position or is inconsistent, on the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. | 25 | Virginia Gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe has demonstrated leadership by advocating for climate action. According to McAuliffe's campaign website, McAuliffe states, "Climate change is one of the greatest threats to the future of our Commonwealth and our communities, yet Republicans continue to deny its impact, putting Virginians’ lives and futures at risk. Securing our clean energy future is critical to securing our future, and I promise you that Virginia will lead the nation in tackling climate change and transitioning to clean energy. We’re going to get Virginia to 100% clean energy by 2035 by partnering with President Biden and investing critical federal dollars, secure our vital coastal communities like Hampton Roads, tackle inequities and environmental racism, and build a brighter future for all Virginians." McAuliffe's website also states, "As Virginia’s next Governor, Terry will champion bold and progressive initiatives that will protect our environment, allow Virginia to achieve its 100% Clean Energy Standard, decarbonize the transportation sector and lift up historically disadvantaged communities that have been impacted the most." McAuliffe makes climate change a top priority issue. | 100 | Virginia Gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe has no known or an inconsistent position on a U.S. fee on carbon. | 50 | 68.75 | https://terrymcauliffe.com/issues/environment/ https://terrymcauliffe.com/terry-mcauliffe-releases-bold-plan-to-tackle-climate-change-and-secure-virginias-clean-energy-future-by-2035/ https://terrymcauliffe.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Terry-McAuliffe-Climate-Change-and-Clean-Energy-Plan-1.pdf |
| Youngkin, Glenn | Virginia | Republican | Virginia Gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin disagrees with the scientific consensus that climate change is real and human-made, from burning fossil fuels. According to the 'American Independent,' when asked if human made greenhouse gas emissions were responsible for climate change, Youngkin stated, "I don't know what's responsible for climate change, in all candor." Youngkin has also repeatedly spread doubt on the reliability of renewable energy. According to 'Facebook,' when asked in a debate about climate change, Youngkin responded with, "We’re going to turn Virginia into California. And, get ready, brownouts and blackouts are coming. And the reason why Ford doesn't want to come here is one of them is they don’t trust our power supply.” | 0 | No | No | No | N/A | Virginia Gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin does not support switching to 100% renewable energy sources by 2030. According to 'The Citizen,' when asked about energy sources and the effects of climate change, Younkin stated, "Yes, we need more natural gas. Yes, we need to innovate and find ways to actually use coal resources cleanly, and some of that is absolutely happening. All of these can actually combine to provide Virginia with both a stable, and dependable, and growing supply of power." | Virginia Gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin does not support the elimination of all human-made, greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. According to 'The Roanokee Times,' Younkin stated, "I believe in all energy sources, we can use wind and solar, but we need to preserve our clean natural gas and we can, in fact, have a reliable energy grid." Vote Climate U.S. PAC’s call to eliminate all human-made CO2 and methane emissions surpasses that of a net-zero carbon emission or a carbon neutral economy by 2050, which we do not believe goes far enough toward the elimination of fossil fuels. Only the complete elimination of these greenhouse gas emissions will lead to a slow reduction in the atmosphere over the next century. | Virginia Gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin does not support keeping fossil fuels in the ground. According to 'The Citizen,' when asked about energy sources and the effects of climate change, Younkin stated, "Yes, we need more natural gas. Yes, we need to innovate and find ways to actually use coal resources cleanly, and some of that is absolutely happening. All of these can actually combine to provide Virginia with both a stable, and dependable, and growing supply of power." | Virginia Gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin does not take a clear position or is inconsistent, on the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. | 0 | Virginia Gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin demonstrates a lack of leadership with public statements against climate action. According to 'Green Wire,' Youngkin has undermined the reliance and importance of renewable energy sources, stating, "We see real challenges in getting to the goals that have been set in the original Virginia Clean Economy Act, and my opponent wants to accelerate them and destabilize our entire energy grid. We’ve seen what happens in California when, in fact, you don’t have a reliable energy grid. So if you like what you just heard from my opponent, get ready for blackouts and brownouts and an unreliable energy grid.” | 0 | Virginia Gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin has no known or an inconsistent position on a U.S. fee on carbon. | 50 | 12.5 | https://americanindependent.com/glenn-youngkin-climate-change-virginia-governor-race/ https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=619282389062893 https://hburgcitizen.com/2021/08/19/mcauliffe-and-youngkin-offer-different-visions-for-shift-to-renewable-energy-in-the-valley/ https://roanoke.com/news/local/gubernatorial-candidates-comment-or-choose-not-to-on-mountain-valley-pipeline/article_cbbc8432-2878-11ec-82c8-dfee2846ffd8.html https://www.eenews.net/articles/va-republican-warns-of-blackouts-and-brownouts-if-he-loses/ |
Voter’s Guide FAQs
What can I do?
On this site, enter your state and get voting dates, deadlines and information for the general election in November. And of course, VOTE CLIMATE using our Voter’s Guide!!
How is each climate score determined?
For current governors and challengers, please see the details in the 2022 U.S. Governors Voter’s Guide Scoring Criteria.
I think I see an error in the data.
Please email us at info@voteclimatepac.org. Please provide concrete information and sources regarding any requested change on climate change, votes, leadership and/or fee on carbon. Due to a legal prohibition against coordination with candidates or their campaigns, to which we abide in letter and spirit, we will not be in touch with candidates or campaigns, but if we can independently verify your claims, we may change the candidate’s rating in our voter’s guide.