PRESS RELEASE

Defenders Action Fund announces first round of Senate endorsements
Votes for clean air, land and water are votes for all Americans

WASHINGTON – Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund today announced its initial list of Senate endorsements for the upcoming mid-term elections. The list consists of ten incumbent candidates and two House Representatives running for Senate, all of whom have voting records that prove their commitment to protecting America's air, land, water and wildlife.

The incumbent Senate candidates endorsed in Defenders Action Fund's first set of endorsements this year all scored 75% or higher on the Defenders Action Fund 2010 Conservation Report Card:

• Sen. Michael Bennet (Colo.)
• Sen. Barbara Boxer (Calif.)
• Sen. Russ Feingold (Wis.)
• Sen. Kristen Gillibrand (N.Y.)
• Sen. Daniel Inouye (Hawaii)
• Sen. Patrick Leahy (Vt.)
• Sen. Barbara Mikulski (Md.)
• Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.)
• Sen. Harry Reid (Nev.)
• Sen. Ron Wyden (Ore.)

Also receiving an endorsement today are two House Representatives – both of whom scored 80% or more on the 2010 Conservation Report Card - who are running statewide, and they are:

• Rep. Paul Hodes (N.H.)
• Rep. Brad Ellsworth (Ind.)

"Through their proven commitment to conserving America's natural treasures, these senators and representatives have set the standard for all leaders," commented Defenders Action Fund President Rodger Schlickeisen. "We are proud to endorse them today in their election bids. As the full consequences of the tragic oil spill in the Gulf unfold, it brings into sharp focus just how important conservation leadership will be in the years ahead.

"We've become so used to politicians putting powerful special interests above those of their constituents, that it's sometimes easy to forget: a vote for clean water, or clean air, or for wilderness protection IS a vote for your constituents," continued Schlickeisen. "That's what's in the people's interests, and by endorsing these candidates, we hope to remind the public of just that."

Defenders Action Fund first released its annual Conservation Report Card in 2004 and has been scoring the conservation votes of every Member of Congress each year since. Defenders Action Fund expects to release more endorsements, including for the House, in the weeks ahead.

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The Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund (www.defendersactionfund.org) provides a powerful voice in Washington to Americans who value our conservation heritage. Through grassroots lobbying, issue advocacy and political campaigns, the Action Fund champions those laws and lawmakers that protect wildlife and wild places while working against those that do them harm.