On environmental issues, Kelly Ayotte votes with Koch interests 94% of the time. But to hear her tell it, she’s a full-fledged conservationist.
Facing a tough reelection challenge, the Big Oil ally is making herself out to be an environmentalist out of necessity, but that’s a tough play given her close ties with the anti-environmentalist Koch brothers and her history of standing up for polluters.
Here’s some background from New Republic’s Rebecca Leber:
[F]or much of [Ayotte’s] first Senate term, she was hard to distinguish from conservative Republicans who do not think climate change is real, or worth addressing. During her 2010 campaign, she signed an Americans for Prosperity pledge to vote against pro-climate legislation like cap-and-trade, and she received regular positive ratings from the group on her conservative voting record (and low ratings from environmentalists).
Like other Koch candidates, Ayotte’s been well compensated for her loyalty to the two brothers’ selfish agenda: The New Republic reports that Ayotte’s “long been a favorite of Koch Industries, having received $20,700 from the company and a private fundraiser from David Koch just this fall.”
And Ayotte can expect continuing Koch support for the foreseeable future. Charles and David’s Americans for Prosperity continues to be “impressed” with Ayotte, according to Politico — and the group’s president reportedly gushed that Ayotte’s “had a really good voting record on a lot of pretty tough issues.” Again: Ayotte votes with AFP’s environmental interests 94% of the time.
Kelly Ayotte can continue to profess concern for the environment, but her legislative record and support from the Koch brothers suggest otherwise.