Sierra Club unanimous in backing Schatz

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz has won the endorsement of the Sierra Club of Hawaii as he consolidates support among environmentalists in his Democratic primary campaign against U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa.

The Sierra Club pointed to the Hawaii Democrat’s commitment to alternative energy and his history of environmental leadership. The senator, appointed by Gov. Neil Abercrombie in December to replace the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, has called on the United States to be a leader in addressing climate change and has been an advocate for the Hawai‘i Clean Energy Initiative to reduce the state’s reliance on fossil fuels.

Schatz has previously been endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters, Ocean Champions, the Council for a Livable World and former Vice President Al Gore, an environmental activist.

John Hart, a communication professor at Hawaii Pacific University, said given Schatz’s policy background, it would have been more newsworthy had the Sierra Club not endorsed him.

"I think the question will be how much traction does this really have in terms of changing any votes?" he said. "I would think that the people that the Sierra Club endorsement mattered to are already in his camp."

Schatz is building a coalition among the environmental and progressive wings of the Democratic Party, which have been the most politically energized — and vocal — over the past several years and have pushed the primary electorate to the left.

In the most high-profile primaries in recent elections, the more liberal candidates have prevailed.

But Hanabusa is expected to compete strongly among the establishment and union Democrats who have formed the party’s spine since the 1950s. In that context, it is Schatz’s union endorsements — the Hawaii Government Employees Association, the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers, the University of Hawaii Professional Assembly — that could be more telling.

Some political analysts have said major endorsements can help Schatz counter Hanabusa’s claim that she is more qualified than the young senator to effectively represent Hawaii in the Senate.

But Hart contends Schatz’s ability to get involved in legislation moving through the Democrat-controlled Senate will help him make the argument about effectiveness better than endorsements. Hanabusa, who is in the minority in the Republican-controlled House, will likely not get similar legislative opportunities.

"Are Hanabusa’s people losing any sleep over this one?" Hart said of the Sierra Club endorsement. "Probably not."

The Sierra Club of Hawaii’s board interviewed Schatz and Hanabusa by telephone and voted unanimously to endorse Schatz, a decision approved by the Sierra Club nationally.

"Senator Schatz is exactly the kind of clean energy leader Hawaii and America need," Robert Harris, the director of the Sierra Club of Hawaii, said in a statement. "His commitment to homegrown, clean energy is second-to-none. Based on his lengthy background in working to protect Hawaii’s environment, we are confident he is the best choice to protect Hawaii families’ health, air and water, and build a clean energy economy that works for our state."

Schatz, in a statement, said he is committed to expanding Hawaii’s clean energy sector.

"By working to grow our clean energy economy, we will create good-paying jobs, strengthen our national security, and ensure that our children and the next generation of Hawaii families inherit a healthy environment," he said. "I thank the Sierra Club for this endorsement and look forward to working with this organization and its membership on achieving a clean energy future."