$3.5 million ‘Our Water, Our Vote’ campaign makes toxic contamination, climate action, public health key issues in races up-and-down the ballot

Campaign centered on re-electing Governor Whitmer, Attorney General Nessel, Secretary of State Benson; clean water champions down ballot

LANSING – The Michigan League of Conservation Voters today announced an aggressive $3.5 million independent expenditure campaign through its Conservation Voters of Michigan PAC (CVM PAC), aimed at electing and re-electing clean water and public health champions across the state.

The program — officially launched in August and centered around CVM PAC’s #OurWaterOurVote message — is one of Michigan’s largest state-based campaigns this election cycle. This robust effort focuses on re-electing leaders at the top of the ticket as well as state House, Senate and Michigan Supreme Court candidates.  It continues the momentum of CVM PAC’s more than $3 million campaign in the 2018 election, when it played a pivotal role. 

“Unlike any other state in the country, Michigan and its residents are deeply connected to the waters that surround us – and they’re again making it a top priority in their decision making on who to vote for in November,” said Bob Allison, deputy director for the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. “Statewide polling and research has consistently shown that Michigan voters from both parties want leaders who will prioritize protecting our water, moving rapidly to clean, renewable energy, and holding polluters accountable.  On November 8th we need to vote like our futures depend on it, because it does.”

The #OurWaterOurVote campaign by CVM PAC launched a door-to-door canvass in August that has already knocked on 77,000 doors and is on target to knock nearly 250,000 doors by Election Day. It also includes over 1 million pieces of mail targeting both absentee and in-person voters, digital ads on streaming services like YouTube, Roku, Hulu, and Comcast, connected TV, as well as Facebook and Instagram.

 

Below are some examples of #OurWaterOurVote advertising:

• “Big” ad supporting Governor Whitmer – https://youtu.be/XTxxUwD7oxw

 

• “Treasure” ad supporting Governor Whitmer – https://youtu.be/LPawMO6omSY 

 

• “Democracy” ad supporting Secretary of State Benson – https://youtu.be/3dxfcQ3_xRs 

 

• “Running From The Law” ad framing Matt DePerno in the Attorney General’s race – https://youtu.be/C-qSB4xIfiU 

 

• “Clean” ad in support of Darrin Camilleri and also running in competitive Senate races – https://youtu.be/bGRpO-vIjzM 

 

• Examples of literature and direct mail #OurWaterOurVote is using in races across the state – https://michiganlcv.org/2022-cvm-pac-work/ 

 

In addition to CVM PAC’s effort, our national affiliate, the League Of Conservation Voters Victory Fund, is running a multi-million dollar campaign in Michigan focused on key congressional races, mirroring this powerful toxic contamination message and #OurWaterOurVote.  The Victory Fund is spending on behalf of U.S. Reps. Elissa Slotkin and Dan Kildee.

CVM PAC’s #OurWaterOurVote campaign is not the only one elevating and amplifying this important narrative. Candidates across the state have launched TV ads invoking this message, touching from the shores of Lake St. Clair all the way to Lake Michigan. Some examples include:

• Former state Rep. Sam Singh is out with this ad called “Polluter Pay” in running for SD28 (greater East Lansing and Ingham and Shiawassee Counties) 
• Rep. David LaGrand launched “Waters,” in his race for SD30 in northern Kent County 
• Rep. Kevin Hertel, running in Macomb County’s SD12 that snakes along the shoreline of Lake St. Clair, ran “Water Is Wet”   
• State Rep. Jim Haadsma, running for re-election in Battle Creek, talks about his work around the Kalamazoo River oil spill and holding polluters accountable in his ad “Safe Drinking Water” 
• Sue Shink, a Washtenaw County Commissioner running for state Senate in SD14 (Ann Arbor-Jackson), pours a glass of water from her family well in “31 Flavors” as she outlines her efforts to clean up toxic PFAS, hexavalent chromium, and dioxane in the Huron River

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