NY League of Conservation Voters drops 2024 endorsement slate

The New York League of Conservation Voters is out with a new slate of endorsements for the upcoming state and federal elections. The environmental advocacy group gave its support to 85 incumbent candidates for the Senate, House of Representatives, state Senate and Assembly. 

The new slate comes at the start of Earth Month, and the group touted the nearly 90% win rate of its endorsed candidates in their general elections in 2022. “After the hottest year on record and a relentless onslaught of extreme weather… the environment and climate change are poised to be pivotal election issues in 2024,” said New York League of Conservation Voters President Julie Tighe. (Tighe is also reportedly in the running for Department of Environmental Conservation commissioner.) “We are thrilled to endorse this slate of candidates for elected office and we are confident they will be strong advocates for clean energy, green jobs, and a healthier future, and we urge voters to support them in their upcoming election.”

This is the first round of endorsements for the New York League, with more expected as the elections draw closer.

The group described the slate as one of its largest in its 35-year history. Although the group touts the endorsements as bipartisan, only a single Republican appears on the list – Assembly Member Michael Durso of Long Island. Each of the other 84 candidates across the state and various offices are Democrats. That includes Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who will face a Republican challenge from the winner of that party’s primary in June, and eight members of Congress. Those are Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Grace Meng, Nydia Velázquez, Dan Goldman, Jerry Nadler, Adriano Espaillat, Paul Tonko and Joe Morelle. The group did not weigh in on races with a contentious primary, like the race between Rep. Jamaal Bowman and Westchester County Executive George Latimer. However, the national League of Conservation Voters has backed Bowman. The group also did not include in this initial slate candidates running for seats with highly contested general elections, like those on Long Island and in the Hudson Valley. The League previously endorsed Rep. Tom Suozzi in the February special election for the 3rd Congressional District on Long Island, but he does not appear on the list of endorsements yet for the upcoming June primaries and November general election.

The 23 state Senate candidates and 53 Assembly candidates the League endorsed are similarly all incumbents, and the group did not yet weigh in on races with open seats. But a few Assembly incumbents they have endorsed are facing potentially tough primary and general challenges this year. Assembly Member Ron Kim of Queens narrowly won reelection in 2022 in both the primary and general election that year, and once again faces opponents in both races. Hudson Valley Assembly Member Didi Barrett and Bronx Assembly Member Michael Benedetto are both facing leftwing primary opponents with the backing of the Working Families Party. And Westchester Assembly Member MaryJane Shimsky may be facing former Assembly Member Tom Abinanti, whom she previously unseated in a 2022 primary.

The New York League of Conservation has also endorsed state Sen. Tim Kennedy for the upcoming special election for Congressional District 26 on April 20. The group previously endorsed Assembly Member Landon Dais in his special election for Assembly District 77 in February.