Environmentalist Tom Steyer, Others Target Colorado

Deep-pocketed environmental activists like Tom Steyer and others have painted “a big, green bull’s-eye” on Colorado in 2014 according to a report by the Denver Post.

Along with several other groups now active in Colorado “the Environmental Defense Fund on Tuesday vowed to make the state the centerpiece of a broad effort to highlight the issue of climate change”.

“It’s certainly the biggest thing we’re doing nationally,” Environmental Defense Fund spokesman Keith Gaby said of the group’s planned $2 million campaign in Colorado to get 100,000 voters to the polls. 

Expected to work a similar beat will be staffers and volunteers for NextGen Climate, an advocacy group founded by investor and environmentalist Tom Steyer.

Along with targeting those open to environmental arguments, the groups appear focused on the young in an effort to boost pro-Democrat turn-out in what will likely be a typical low-turn-out mid-term election.

“The real push will be later toward September and … a big October,” Hughes said.

Also backing Udall in his Senate race is the League of Conservation Voters. Group officials are marshaling a large get-out-the-vote drive that they said could tip the scales.

“We are going to be putting forth a major effort this fall to ensure that young people, married and single women and Hispanic voters turn out and vote for pro-environment candidates,” said Daniel J. Weiss of the League of Conservation Voters.

Still, one elections analyst said the “burden of proof” was on environmentalists to show that they can motivate a voter population that historically has failed to materialize on Election Day in nonpresidential years.

It reamins to be seen how successful the effort will prove to be.