What the 2026 Election Could Mean for the Climate Crisis

On July 4, 2025, catastrophic flooding swept through the Texas Hill Country, killing 137 people, including 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic. Families who sent their children to summer camp would never see them alive again. The floods caused an estimated $22 billion in damage and economic losses.

Now, Texans face two US Senate candidates with dramatically different records on climate change.

Republican Ken Paxton earns just 21.25% on Vote Climate U.S. PAC's 2026 National Climate Change Voter's Guide. As Texas attorney general, Paxton repeatedly challenged climate regulations, fought efforts to make fossil fuel polluters pay for climate damages, and opposed federal fees on methane emissions.

The question this November is whether we will continue electing politicians who compound the climate crisis or choose leaders prepared to confront it.

His Democratic opponent, James Talarico, earns 71.25%. Talarico acknowledges climate change and supports investments in renewable energy and emerging technologies. However, he has moderated his climate positions, defended Texas's fossil fuel industry, and has no clear position on requiring carbon polluters to pay for their emissions.

Neither candidate earns a perfect score. But the difference is substantial—50 points.

North Carolina: $59.6 Billion in Devastation

On September 27, 2024, Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina, killing at least 107 people and damaging or destroying more than 73,000 homes. The storm caused an estimated $59.6 billion in statewide damage, economic losses, and recovery needs.

In this year's US Senate race, former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper earns a 92.5% Climate Calculation, compared with just 28.75% for Republican Michael Whatley.

Cooper has made climate action a governing priority, advocating climate resilience, opposing offshore drilling, and protecting North Carolina's air and water.

Whatley criticized President Joe Biden's decision to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement and cancel the Keystone XL pipeline, accusing the administration of siding with "climate alarmists." He has not clearly acknowledged the scientific consensus that climate change is human caused.

Michigan: Tornadoes and a Stark Political Divide

On May 7, 2024, a tornado packing 135-mile-per-hour winds tore through Portage, Michigan, causing approximately $50 million in damage. It was part of a multistate outbreak producing more than 165 tornadoes, killing three people, and causing approximately $6.6 billion in damage.

Democrat Abdul El-Sayed earns a 92.5% Climate Calculation, while Republican Mike Rogers receives just 21.25%.

El-Sayed calls climate change an immediate crisis and advocates a pathway to 100% renewable energy through investments in solar, wind, battery storage, and modernization of the electric grid.

Rogers has not clearly acknowledged the scientific consensus on human-caused climate change. He has attacked Democratic energy policies and voted for a congressional measure declaring that a carbon tax would harm the US economy.

Georgia: Hurricane Helene's Deadly Toll

When Hurricane Helene struck Georgia in September 2024, it killed 37 people and caused an estimated $6.46 billion in agricultural and forestry losses alone.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms earns a 92.5% Climate Calculation, compared with 28.75% for Republican Rick Jackson.

As Atlanta's mayor, Lance Bottoms testified before Congress about climate threats, including flooding, extreme heat, and tree canopy loss. Her administration also worked to reduce fuel consumption and pollution.

Jackson has not clearly acknowledged the scientific consensus on human-caused climate change. His energy proposals emphasize lowering gasoline and utility costs rather than reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Florida: A $109.5 Billion Hurricane and a Climate Zero Candidate

On September 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian devastated southwest Florida, killing 150 people in Florida and causing an estimated $109.5 billion in damage. In Fort Myers Beach alone, 900 structures were destroyed.

Yet Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds earns an extraordinary 0% Climate Calculation.

Donalds has questioned the scientific consensus on human-caused climate change and co-sponsored a congressional resolution opposing a carbon tax.

His Democratic opponent, David Jolly, earns 92.5%.

Jolly acknowledges climate science and advocates expanding renewable energy, strengthening rooftop solar policies, and investing in climate resilience to protect Florida's vulnerable coastlines.

In a state facing rising seas, coastal flooding, and increasingly costly hurricanes, the contrast could scarcely be more consequential.

Climate Change Is on the Ballot

These comparisons come from Vote Climate US PAC's 2026 National Climate Change Voter's Guide, which evaluates incumbents and challengers for the US House, US Senate, and governorships.

Unlike traditional congressional scorecards, our guide evaluates incumbents and challengers, candidates without congressional voting records. Our Climate Calculations examine incumbents' positions, votes, and leadership where applicable, and support for requiring carbon polluters to pay for their emissions. Scores range from Climate Hero to Climate Zero. Detailed research and sources are available by clicking the green plus button beside each candidate's name.

The guide also identifies candidates' positions on Roe v. Wade. In all five races examined here, the Democratic candidates support Roe, while their Republican opponents oppose it.

No single hurricane, flood, or tornado can be attributed solely to climate change. But scientists have established that human-caused warming intensifies many forms of extreme weather, particularly heavy rainfall, extreme heat, and coastal flooding associated with rising seas.

Americans are already paying an enormous price for climate disasters. They deserve to know which candidates are prepared to confront the crisis and which continue to obstruct meaningful action.

Visit VoteClimatePAC.com to examine candidates' Climate Calculations and the research behind them.

The question this November is whether we will continue electing politicians who compound the climate crisis or choose leaders prepared to confront it.

The climate crisis will not wait for political convenience. Neither should public accountability.