Joe Biden Picks Up Key Endorsement, Indicates Further Adoption Of Green New Deal Principles

Former Vice President Joe Biden picked up an endorsement that could bode well for his attempt to curry the favor of environmentalists, as well as more progressive Democratic voters who previously supported Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders as their candidate for the 2020 general election. The endorsement may have come as a result of Biden signaling that he would expand his climate plan.

Per The Washington Post, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) announced on Monday that it will back Biden in his upcoming battle for the presidency with incumbent Donald Trump. The group later re-tweeted The Washington Post’s article on its official Twitter account. Several primary elections remain, but Biden is the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party following Sanders’ decision to suspended his campaign earlier this month.

In a statement to The Post, Biden said he was “honored” to receive the endorsement. He also called the fight against pollution and climate change a personal battle.

“For me, this is personal. I live in a state that’s dealing first hand with the impacts of climate change and impacts of pollution on kids and families. I’m going to fight for my grandkids.”

The Washington, D.C.-based League of Conservation Voters was founded in 1970 by environmentalist Marion Edey, with support provided by David Brower. In addition to its lobbying and voter education efforts, the LCV tracks the voting records of Congress members on environmental issues. During his time in the Senate, Biden accrued a lifetime mark of 83 percent on his own national environmental scorecard from the LCV.

The group stands in staunch opposition to the Trump administration and its environmental policies and practices.

In regards to his own efforts to curb the effects of climate change, Biden’s campaign has recently indicated that his plan continues to be a work in progress and will see further evolution. Biden’s policy director, Stef Feldman, told The Post that the campaign had always expected that it would build upon Biden’s original, 22-page climate plan, which was released last June and calls for the U.S. to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

Biden’s campaign website describes the Green New Deal as “a crucial framework for meeting the climate challenges we face,” but the recent indication that he’ll look to expand the scope of his environmental plan may be his first steps toward truly embracing the proposed climate change and economic inequality legislation.

In any case, the LCV’s acceptance of Biden and his willingness to expand his environmental plan could open the door for other environmental organizations to consider endorsements of their own. That, in turn, could make him a more attractive candidate for progressive voters.