Environmental group adds support for Lauren Baer bid in CD 18

Environment America Action Fund (EAAF), an environmental group which has supported Democrats in previous election cycles, is now announcing it’s throwing resources behind Lauren Baer‘s bid in Florida’s 18th Congressional District.

The group has pledged to spend more than $1 million across 10 congressional races; hers is one. EAAF says it is targeting races “where voters have a clear choice as to which candidate will best protect our environment.”

EAAF argues one of those races is CD 18: “Protecting the environment is the challenge of our time,” said Jennifer Rubiello, state director for the group’s Florida arm.

“We need to act now, as climate change brings increasingly dangerous hurricanes, sea surge and heat waves to Florida and the administration rolls back clean air and water laws that were passed with broad bipartisan support.”

The group says Baer is better suited to achieve those goals than her Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Brian Mast.

“Unless we vote in representatives who will provide a strong counterweight to the current administration’s agenda, anti-environmental interests will be emboldened to dismantle even more protections and set us back for decades,” Rubiello added.

Mast, however, has advanced efforts in Congress to tackle the state’s algae problem. But Baer has said those bills aren’t enough, launching an entire website dedicated to arguing that “Brian Mast is toxic.”

Rubiello also had criticism for President Donald Trump‘s record on the environment, arguing it should motivate voters in 2018.

“By a wide margin, the American people reject the Trump administration’s anti-environmental policies,” Rubiello said.

“Never before have so many congressional races exposed a clear contrast for voters who care about the environment. We believe that voters will hold anti-environment incumbents accountable for their dismal voting records and help elect new environmental champions to the House.”