The Sierra Club announced Thursday that it was endorsing both Charlie Crist and Kendrick Meek in next month's U.S. Senate election in Florida.
The co-endorsement is not as unique as it might be in any other election cycle, as Charlie Crist's run as an independent has split progressives throughout Florida. Earlier this year the Florida Education Association also gave a split endorsement to the two not running under the Republican party label.
But what is unique is Meek's rejection of it.
In a press release, the Miami Democrat said:
"I cannot in good conscience accept an endorsement from an organization that would stand with a governor who has consistently put developers, oil companies and the special interests first. I choose to stand with the environmental community and everyday Floridians who want clean energy jobs, clean water, and clean beaches. It's an insult to Florida's environmental community and Sierra Club members that the organization would endorse a governor who, in the organization's own words, 'sold out to developers' by 'failing to veto even the worst bills.' While I agree that Marco Rubio is an unacceptable choice for Florida's environment, Charlie Crist is also an unacceptable choice. We should all take a stand and, in doing so, I respectfully decline the Sierra Club's co-endorsement."
In a conference call announcing the co-endorsement, Cecilia Height, the Political Committee Chair, said both Crist and Meek have "very strong environmental records." She heaped praise on the governor for showing strong leadership during the BP oil spill disaster, as well as his commitment to clean energy and fighting climate change.
And she praised Meek for his 100% record from the League of Conservation Voters, and his consistent opposition to offshore drilling.
But Sierra Club officials also spent much of the time on the call bashing Marco Rubio's environmental record, with Frank Jackalone, the Club's Florida staff director, saying they are "frightened and very concerned about" Rubio's positions, such as his questioning of the science around climate change, and his refusal to take offshore drilling off the table, even after the BP crisis.
This article appears in Oct 7-13, 2010.