Prof. Aseem Prakash and colleague Prof. Nives Dolšak write on Forbes that Republican candidates are getting on the environmental wagon, in a local manner, during this election cycle.
"Competitive elections are forcing politicians to take pro-environment positions that conflict with their legislative records...Citizens reward politicians when environmental protection creates local benefits – economic or recreational. Much of the political rhetoric around the Great American Outdoors Act or the offshore drilling ban emphasizes local benefits, not 'saving the earth.'”
"Environmental voters gain leverage in competitive electoral races. Even politicians with poor environmental records want to portray themselves as environmental stewards. Ironically, the leverage of environmental voters is less in the Deep Blue states of the West Coast or New England than in the Red-turning-Purple states of the South and the Rockies. "