Electoral
Battlegrounds
We help passionate outdoor people protect the places they live and the experiences they love from the effects of climate change. That work starts at the ballots.
The power of the American Democracy is in our hands, and we need the entire Outdoor State™ to show up at the polls to protect clean air, clean water, our planet and the experiences that we love. Our voices need to be heard, so let’s mobilize and create civic engagement and voter turnout in November’s election. We have the unique opportunity to create a cultural shift toward voting, and thus, change political will with the goal of enacting climate solutions.
2026 Candidate Endorsements
Protect Our Winters Action Fund (POWAF) is stoked to announce our badass slate of endorsed candidates. The slate includes three candidates, each from different backgrounds but all united in their commitment to preserving their state’s outdoor spaces and taking action on climate change. As avid climbers, skiers, snowboarders, mountain bikers, runners, filmmakers, writers, artists, photographers, and scientists, we look for leaders who will take an urgent and pragmatic approach to tackling climate change. We know each and every one of them will fight like hell to protect the places we live and the experiences we love.
Sam Forstag (MT-01)
As a smokejumper, Sam Forstag has spent years defending the same public lands that guides, hunters, anglers, and skiers across Montana depend on. When DOGE cuts put over 300 Forest Service jobs out, he didn’t sit on the sidelines but rather organized and advocated for their jobs. His platform is straightforward: rebuild public lands agencies, manage timber responsibly, expand USDA grants, stop incentivizing the oil and gas industry, and commit to real environmental protections. That fight matters right now. Sam Forstag is ready to protect Montana lands and the people who inhabit them.
Dwayne Romero (CO-03)
Dwayne Romero is a fierce advocate for protecting Colorado’s public lands. After years of low-snow and water shortages, he affirms that there’s no time to wait for real action on climate change. Romero sees that a transition to renewables is both necessary and something that has to bring the district’s energy workers and oil and gas counties along with it, not leave them behind. He’s backed a moratorium on new oil and gas leasing on federal land, pushed to get Colorado’s lost drought funding restored, and said the state needs to hold its climate commitments even under pressure from the Trump administration.
Ami Bera (CA-03)
Ami Bera is a climate champion in Congress, and he’s ready to continue the fight for CA-03. He ties climate change directly to wildfire smoke and the extreme weather already hitting California. He’s been clear about defending California’s clean air and vehicle emissions standards, funding clean energy at scale, and making sure federal policy protects communities instead of leaving them more exposed. Since 2013, Rep. Ami Bera has had the voting record to prove that he’ll continue the work to protect the environment in this next cycle.
