Some of this election’s most important battlegrounds for climate policy have nothing to do with the Electoral College.
Governors’ mansions, legislatures and even climate policy itself are on the ballot across the country.
In Washington state, voters will render an up-or-down verdict on one of the country’s most aggressive systems for cutting emissions. In North Carolina, the next governor could gain some legislative support to boost electric vehicles — or the governor’s office could flip and go to a Republican who denies the reality of climate change. And in Minnesota, where Gov. Tim Walz enacted major climate laws before becoming the vice presidential nominee, Democrats are looking to defend their narrow control over the Legislature.
These down-ballot races will carry implications far beyond state lines. After years of preparing and finally passing climate policy, Democrats are about to discover how popular those actions truly are — and whether it’s safe for lawmakers elsewhere to copy them.
