Environmental groups launch new canvassing effort to boost Democrats

Mary Ellen McIntire, CQ-Roll Call on Sep 16, 2026

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WASHINGTON — A pair of environmental groups are launching new field programs in seven competitive House districts, seeking to reach out to voters while coordinating with key Democratic campaigns.

The paid canvassing efforts by the League of Conservation Voters and NRDC Action Fund, shared first with CQ Roll Call, take advantage of a 2024 advisory from the Federal Election Commission that allows outside groups to coordinate with campaigns on canvassing activities. That additional flexibility can help lead to more targeted field operations.

The NRDC Action Fund’s program seeks to support Democratic candidates JoAnna Mendoza in Arizona’s 6th District; Rebecca Cooke in Wisconsin’s 3rd; William Lawrence in Michigan 7th; and Janelle Stelson in Pennsylvania’s 10th.

The League of Conservation Voters’ program, meanwhile, is aiming to boost Florida Rep. Kathy Castor, whose 14th District was redrawn this spring to favor Republicans, as well as Democratic candidates Rebecca Bennett in New Jersey’s 7th and Paige Cognetti in Pennsylvania’s 8th.

Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates five of the seven races as Toss-ups. Castor’s race against GOP former state Rep. Mike Beltran is rated Tilt Republican, while Bennett’s race in the Garden State against Republican incumbent Thomas H. Kean Jr. is rated Tilt Democratic.

The FEC advisory, which groups are still adapting to, gives outside entities a relatively narrow lane to coordinate with campaigns on face-to-face interactions with voters. It’s a change from the firewalls that typically separate these groups from the campaigns.

“The [advisory] gives us an opportunity to actually add value on the ground with candidates and campaigns in a way that we haven’t been able to previously and just amplify our impact,” said Jed Ober, the NRDC Action Fund’s managing director for political affairs.

Wednesday’s announcement marks the first canvassing programs for the two organizations under the new policy, and group officials believe their message can help influence close races in their targeted districts.

The League of Conservation Voters plans to knock on over 150,000 doors across its three districts and spend a combined $1.5 million, while the NRDC Action Fund’s goal is to knock on around 20,000 doors in each district. NRDC Action Fund also plans to run campus voter registration efforts in Michigan’s 7th District and in Arizona’s 2nd, where Democrat Jonathan Nez is challenging GOP Rep. Eli Crane, and relational organizing in Pennsylvania’s 7th, 8th and 10th districts.

Jennessa Agnew, LCV’s vice president of field, said the choice to support Castor, a longtime group ally, was easy because of how many new constituents she has in her redrawn district. Under the new map Florida Republicans enacted this spring, Donald Trump would have carried the 14th District by 11 points in 2024, according to calculations by Inside Elections.

In the other races in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, where LCV is planning to canvas, Agnew said the group saw an opportunity to influence what are expected to be close races.

“We thought about all the places that our issues could reach voters in a deep way and connect to their daily life,” she said, noting that central New Jersey and Scranton, Pa., checked those boxes.

“[We’re] also thinking about how prevalent those issues have been for voters and our ability to connect the higher energy bill they’re seeing and the solutions that could come forward with some of these leaders,” she added.