350 Wisconsin Action is committed to achieving climate goals at the local, county, state, regional, national, and international levels… and to do that, we need climate champions in as many elected positions as possible.
We endorse candidates who share our values and can drive positive change, while also acknowledging that political dynamics – particularly in swing states like Wisconsin – are complicated, and that some level of compromise is often needed. We also know that political candidates are humans, and there will rarely be a candidate who is 100% perfect in every single way.
We don’t want our endorsement process to be a mystery to anyone, and we want our endorsement to mean something. To that end, we’ve written out our guiding principles that help our Political Action Team (a combination of volunteers and staff) decide when we’re endorsing a climate champion and engaging in a race.
Our guiding principles for endorsement include:
- Climate & Justice Commitments: The candidate should demonstrate genuine dedication to addressing climate justice in their platform, and have a history of fighting for climate and other social justice issues in tangible ways.
- Strategic Fit: If we are endorsing a candidate, 350 Wisconsin Action should be able to back that endorsement up with meaningful support, including communications, get-out-the-vote efforts, and more. Additionally, the election of that candidate should be strategically aligned with our broader goals and initiatives.
- Community Standing: It’s important that politicians have the respect of the people in their community, and have a history of collaborative efforts with colleagues and active engagement with constituents.
- Electoral Viability: We want to maximize the effectiveness of our volunteers, our staff time, and our resources, so we focus on endorsing candidates in competitive races whenever possible.
- Partner Alignment: We act in coalition with a broad range of allied organizations, movements, and communities, so it is important to us that we do not damage trust and relationships with our partners with our endorsements.
Each of these guiding principles is equally important to us, so no single principle will be the sole determinant of whether we engage in an election.
If you have questions about our endorsement process, we encourage you to reach out! Please email Emily at emily.park@350wisconsin.org.