Historically, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has not been a friend to climate activists. The world's largest pro-business lobbying group has pushed against clean air and water regulations, criticized the Kyoto Protocol as â??bad for the American economy, American workers, and American families,â? and roundly rejected the science of human-caused climate change. â??You name the environmental issue, and they are opposing the protections,â? said Dan Dudis, former director of Public Citizen's Chamber Watch, in a 2017 interview with Racked. So many business leaders were surprised when, after contributing millions of dollars to Republican climate deniers over the years, the Chamber of Commerce announced last month that it was endorsing nearly two dozen first-term Democratic candidates for Congress, including two in highly competitive toss-up races. While this is hardly the first time the lobby has endorsed Democrats, it's rare for the Chamber to do so in such large numbers. â??The Chamber of Commerce is trying to reinvent itself,â? said Craig Holman, a government affairs lobbyist for the nonprofit Public Citizen. Since the 2016 election, when it threw its support behind Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton, the group has gradually retreated from the far right, he said. â??Theyâ??ve started endorsing more Democrats, theyâ??ve been tolerating more environmental issues.â? Grist thanks its sponsors. Become one. While the Democrats endorsed by the Chamber of Commerce tend to be relatively moderate, they arenâ??t skeptical when it comes to global warming. â??Climate change is an existential threat to New Mexico,â? said Representative Xochitl Torres Small, the Chamber's pick for the state's 2nd district. â??Weâ??re seeing it every day with longer droughts and hotter forest fires.â? The race is a toss-up in an area where 62 percent of voters say theyâ??re worried about the impacts of climate change. In contrast, Torres Small's opponent,... |