New Jersey LCV Invites Assemblyman Zwicker in for Endorsement Meeting

TRENTON, NJ —The board of the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters (New Jersey LCV) has extended a public invitation to Assemblyman Andrew Zwicker (D-16) to attend an endorsement meeting.

Each election season, New Jersey LCV supports candidates from both sides of the aisle who run on platforms of championing the environment.

However, New Jersey LCV has yet to endorse Assemblyman Zwicker because of a number of concerns, particularly issues related to a recently passed financial disclosure bill he authored.

The process is ongoing, and New Jersey LCV has so far endorsed a total of 22 candidates in legislative races for November’s general election and is preparing to announce additional nominations shortly.

“We are deeply troubled Assemblyman Zwicker sponsored legislation that would force onerous financial disclosure upon hundreds of grassroots advocacy groups fighting for strong environmental policies, women’s health, and other important issues while allowing powerful business interests, like the Chamber of Commerce and the Petroleum Institute to operate from the shadows,” said Ed Potosnak, Executive Director of New Jersey LCV. “We were equally troubled that the Assemblyman chose not to treat us like a true partner in the process by addressing the concerns of advocates and environmental groups.”

“Our endorsement process is a thorough and holistic one, taking into account a candidate’s entire record and willingness to partner with the environmental community on policies to protect our planet and curb the power of big polluters in Trenton and beyond,” said Julia Somers, Chair of New Jersey LCV. “However, we value our relationships with existing lawmakers in Trenton including Assemblyman Zwicker. Though the Assemblyman did not accept previous invitations to meet with the Committee, we still hope he will join us to discuss the disclosure bill and other concerns directly with our Political Committee so we can have a frank exchange of views and consider him as part of our endorsement process.”

The Political Committee and the Board has a history of seeking additional information from candidates for clarification, to answer questions that arise about their campaign, to discuss concerns, and the candidate’s entire record, including legislative records and public positions taken.

New Jersey LCV is one of the biggest spenders in New Jersey legislative elections.

In the 2017 election cycle, New Jersey League of Conservation Voters PAC and Super PAC spent over $400,000 on endorsed candidates including gubernatorial candidate Phil Murphy, a record-shattering amount by an environmental organization in New Jersey and the most of any non-labor issue organizations.

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New Jersey League of Conservation Voters is a non-partisan organization whose mission is to elect environmental champions, hold public officials accountable, and support laws which protect our environment and improve the quality of people’s lives.

For more information about New Jersey LCV’s endorsement process, see the below section from our website:

New Jersey LCV serves as the leading political voice for the environment. We are a non-partisan, statewide organization dedicated to holding elected officials accountable for all their actions that impact our precious natural resources.
New Jersey LCV works to elect viable candidates, without regard to party affiliation, who have demonstrated active or affirmative willingness and capacity to reliably advance New Jersey LCV’s conservation agenda and priorities as outlined in its Policy Agenda and other documents.
Earning a New Jersey LCV endorsement is not to be taken lightly because we back it up with action. We pride ourselves on having a systematic and rigorous process to vet and endorse candidates. New Jersey LCV reviews candidates’ environmental credentials and vision for the state moving forward through our questionnaire, and in many cases sit down with candidates to ask tough questions about the race and to ensure their commitment to our goals of protecting the state’s air, water, and lands.