After running an aggressive election campaign focused on the environment, the Maryland League of Conservation Voters is thrilled to report that 88% of our endorsed candidates won their races!

 View or download our full 2006 Elections Report here. (1.75 MB)

A total of 110 out of 125 endorsed candidates have won their races. All 3 statewide endorsed candidates won their races, including Martin O’Malley in what was a tight Governor’s race.

Executive Director Cindy Schwartz said, “This election was all about turnout -- and conservation voters came to the polls this election in full force. Last night, the Maryland League of Conservation Voters was thrilled to celebrate the victory of our conservation trifecta! At the top of the ticket, voters chose a true leader for the environment in Martin O’Malley for Governor as well as an Attorney General and Comptroller who both ran on environmental platforms. In the state legislature, voters sent solid conservation champions to the State House.”

“In Maryland, where residents are passionate about the Chesapeake Bay and are growing increasingly concerned about over-development and traffic, environmental issues certainly had an impact as voters went to the polls,” said Executive Director Cindy Schwartz.

“While the war in Iraq, crime and education were of high concern at the polls, conservation issues -- like growth and development, traffic, and air and water pollution -- are growing more significant because of their daily impact on voters’ lives,” said Ms. Schwartz.

The Environment as an Issue in Statewide Races

The Maryland League of Conservation Voters made electing O’Malley, Gansler, and Franchot its top election-year priority and ran targeted campaigns to get out the vote to identified conservation-minded voters through phone and mail outreach, sending two mail pieces supporting all three candidates to over 80,000 identified environmental voters. The organization’s “Stop Sprawl, Stop Ehrlich” campaign launched a website that was marketed on the Internet and to bloggers through banner ads and viral email postcards. Overall the organization spent over $100,000 in the Primary and the General Elections on conservation voter outreach in these three statewide races.

The importance of environmental issues in the Governor’s race was evident in both campaigns. Governor Ehrlich, who earned a D for his conservation record on the League’s most recent scorecard, attempted to claim environmental wins even for bills such as the Healthy Air Act, which the Administration opposed for two years before signing the bill.

“Maryland voters weren’t fooled by Governor Ehrlich’s last-minute Election year environmental conversions, in the end Marylanders chose not to send back a Governor with a failing environmental record. We’re thrilled that Martin O’Malley will be a new Governor who will make the Chesapeake Bay and land conservation a priority.”

Getting out the Vote for Conservation Candidates in Legislative Races

The Maryland League of Conservation Voters won 6 of its top 9 priority legislative races for the General Election. Maryland LCV reached out to tens of thousands of registered environmental voters with its pro-conservation elections message through phone calls, direct mail, and online. The organization’s priority legislative races included:

• District 30: The League made this strong environmental slate of John Astle, Mike Busch, Virginia Clagett, and Barbara Samorajczyk its top legislative priority. This race was key in part because of Busch’s strong environmental leadership as the Speaker of the House and was a targeted district by the opposition. The League sent out 2 pieces mail to over 10,000 identified voters, ran a field effort, held a rally for the candidates that sent over 60 volunteers doing get-out-the-vote canvassing, phone banking, and literature dropping.

• District 7: The League sought to help challenger Pat Foerster to defeat Andy Harris -- a chief obstructionist to the Healthy Air Act and a 5% environmental score -- and to elect challenger Jack Sturgill for Delegate. The League sent out 2 pieces of mail to over 6,000 identified environmental voters and recorded an automated voting call.

• District 37: With the Eastern Shore facing enormous pressure from development the League sought to help elect a strong environmental challenger Hilary Spence to defeat incumbent Senator Richard Colburn -- who fought Blackwater protections and earned a 5% on the Maryland LCV’s scorecard. The League sent out 2 pieces of mail to over 6,000 identified environmental voters and dropped literature door-to-door in the district.

• Other Priority Races: In District 33, the League sought to defeat Senator Janet Greenip -- who earned a 5% on its most recent scorecard -- to replace her with Scott Hymes. In the open House seat in District 31 the League worked to elect Steve Schuh. Other key districts included District 42, with conservation champion Jim Brochin and his slate; District 3A in Frederick County; District 8 in Baltimore County; and District 15 in Montgomery County.

“At Maryland LCV we know who we elect matters. That’s why we chose to invest resources in these important legislative races, in addition to making 125 endorsements across the state,” continued Ms. Schwartz.

“Having these champions in the State House means Marylanders will have a real voice in Annapolis when it comes to protecting our lands and cleaning up our air and water -- including our Chesapeake Bay -- not just now but for future generations.”

Question #1 to Protect Conservation Lands Passes with Overwhelming Support

A constitutional amendment on the ballot also gave conservation voters a reason to turn out on Election Day. The amendment, which would prevent the state from selling off conservation lands without legislative oversight, came about after a botched deal by the Ehrlich Administration to sell off over 800 acres of conservation lands in St. Mary’s county to a private developer.

The amendment passed by an overwhelming support of 85%. In August, the Maryland League had filed a lawsuit against Maryland’s Secretary of State for rewriting the ballot question with confusing and misleading, later that same day, the Secretary of State agreed to change the language back to what the General Assembly had passed.

Cindy Schwartz said: “The overwhelming support form the citizens of Maryland for Question 1 sends a resounding message to legislators that Maryland voters want parklands and open spaces to be protected from development and not sold off to the highest bidder.”