Greenies Win Some, Lose Some in Historic Election

There was much at stake in Tuesday’s election, and environmentalists were keeping a close eye on certain senate and house races as well as an important ballot measure in California. As they say, you win some and you lose some, and although not every candidate endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters was victorious, quite a few were.

The biggest victory of the night – aside from that of President-elect Obama, of course – was claimed by animals across the country.  California’s Proposition 2 sought to require that egg-laying hens, calves raised for veal, and pregnant pigs be given enough room to lie down, stand up, fully extend their limbs and turn around freely.

Market Watch has a statement from Farm Sanctuary on the victory:

“The passage of Prop 2 in the country’s largest agricultural state marks a monumental victory for farm animals. This campaign did an amazing job of raising public awareness about the cruel treatment farm animals endure at the hands of an industry that has consistently fought meaningful change for animals. Farm Sanctuary supporters and campaign volunteers have seen California voters respond with reason and compassion agreeing that all animals deserve humane treatment. Today marks a significant change in the way we view and treat farm animals and falls closer in line with public sentiments and values of compassion. We look forward to seeing these confinement systems phased out nationwide.”

Grist has a rundown of the outcomes of environmentally notable races and ballot measures.  Prop 2 was far from the only green measure to pass – others include CA Prop 1A, which will partially fund a high-speed train linking SoCal and the Bay Area, and MO Prop C, which will require 15 percent of the state’s electricity to come from clean energy sources by 2021.

Among the Senate winners were Sierra Club- and LCV-endorsed Mark Udall of Colorado, Jean Shaheen of New Hampshire and Kay Hagan of North Carolina.

Check out the whole list over at Grist!

Link [Market Watch] + [Grist]
Photo credit: Flickr user gemsling

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