PRESS RELEASE

MUSGRAVE LOSES

Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund Scores Another Hard-Fought Electoral Victory

Fort Collins, CO – The voters of Colorado’s 4th congressional district today rejected Rep. Marilyn Musgrave’s reelection bid, a race in which the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund ran a four month, comprehensive, hard-hitting campaign to inform voters about Rep. Musgrave’s anti-environmental record.  Below is a statement from Rodger Schlickeisen, the President of Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund:

“By voting to send Betsy Markey to Congress, 4th district voters chose the pragmatic and responsible energy and conservation policies that she advocates, and rejected the extreme, pro-Big Oil policies that Marilyn Musgrave championed.  We congratulate Betsy Markey and Coloradans on this great victory.

“Friends of conservation – farmers, outdoorsmen, hunters, anglers and everyone who enjoys the natural world – can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Marilyn Musgrave will no longer be around to promote Big Oil and other special interests while impeding progress on environmental policies that would protect our wildlife and the overall environment.

“This hard-fought victory against Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, which follows our stunning victory against Rep. Richard Pombo in 2006, should put other like-minded, extreme anti-conservation members of Congress on notice that we will make sure their constituents know about their miserable record when they make their decision at the ballot box.”

What the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund accomplished:
The Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund campaign in the 4th district integrated robust paid advertising, field, and press operations, and was the largest independent expenditure (IE) in support of pro-conservation candidate Betsy Markey in one of the most hotly-contested and most-watched House races in the country.  In all DAF:

• Deployed 48 campaign field and canvass staff;
• Knocked on over 83,000 doors in support of Betsy Markey and against Marilyn Musgrave;
• Aired four (4) television ads and two (2) widely broadcast radio ads;
• Earned over 75 stories in the Colorado media; and
• Played a leading role in working with numerous labor, environmental, and progressive activists through the America Votes coalition to help deliver the 4th district for Betsy Markey.

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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.

Contact: Ed Yoon (213) 503-5455