Ruben Gallego, running in a heated primary in central Phoenix's AZ-07, tried to talk climate change with the paper of record in Phoenix:
He recalled that during a recent meeting with the Arizona Republic's editorial board, he raised the issue of energy policy but was told the newspaper wasn't interested in discussing it.
"We have the Navajo Generating Station right there up north, we have Palo Verde [Nuclear Generating Station], one of the biggest nuclear power plants in the state, we have a lot of coal generated up at the Four Corners area, and the biggest newspaper didn't even want to have a conversation about that," Gallego asserted.
The editors' response? They call the race a
battle of personalities (warning: autoplay video).
This is horserace journalism at its utter worst. Ed Pastor is retiring after two decades of quietly representing the district, and suddenly the primary is one of the hottest races in the state. Voters deserve to know the issues. The Arizona Republic hasn't covered the secret sweetheart deal between coal-funded Mary Rose Wilcox and shrouded-in-dark-money APS. Nor has it covered the electric utility contributions to Wilcox.
After all, it's not like climate change matters to Phoenix voters Phoenix may not survive climate change.
Climate does matter to Ruben Gallego, along with other issues such as immigration reform and income inequality. He's endorsed by Climate Hawks Vote alongside DailyKos, MoveOn, and other progressive groups. And we're holding a Climate Matters rally this Sunday, just in time for the Tuesday primary. Speakers from the political, national security, and business communities will talk why climate matters to voters.
Take action!
In the district: RSVP for the Climate Matters rally this Sunday, August 24 at 1 PM at Steele Indian School Park
Anywhere: sign this petition to tell the Arizona Republic and other important Phoenix-area papers to cover the candidates' positions on climate change.
And save the date:
Sign up for the People's Climate March in New York City September 21