2006 ELECTION RESULTS
CA-11: Congressman Richard Pombo
--- POMBO LOSES! ---
Read more here.
Richard Pombo's list of offenses to America's heritage of conservation is staggering. In 2005 alone, he attempted to sell away our national parks and federal lands to commercial interests. He worked to open Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge and our Coasts to oil drilling. He even tried to dismantle the Endangered Species Act, eliminating our nation's efforts to save and recover endangered wildlife.
Over the last several years, Richard Pombo has taken over $1,805,576 from oil & gas, gambling, developers, and numerous other special interests. He is also one of the largest recipients of oil and gas money in the entire Congress, taking in nearly $198,033 since 2003. It should be no surprise, therefore, that Pombo has written legislation to benefit big developers and mining interests, and voted huge tax breaks for the oil and gas industry.
Part of the mission of the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund is to work against lawmakers that threaten our wildlife and our wild places. There is no greater threat to wildlife than Richard Pombo.
Visit PomboInTheirPocket.org for more information about America's #1 Wildlife Villian.
Conservation Majority Project
In addition to our work to defeat Richard Pombo, the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund targeted 26 House districts as part of its Conservation Majority Project. The goal of the project was to help oust the current House leadership and committee chairs who were driving much of the House’s anti-conservation agenda.
The Conservation Majority Project targeted and educated roughly one-half million voters in targeted congressional districts about the records of the candidates vying for their votes. It used aggressive and repeated personal contact through direct mail, phone and online activities to get its message out. Emphasis was placed on reaching out to conservation-minded swing voters who can often decide the difference in close elections. Between voter education, issue advocacy and direct outreach activities, the Conservation Majority Project spent more than $2.8 million in the 2006 election cycle.
"To make true progress on conservation issues, we knew we needed different leadership in Congress," said Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund. "The Conservation Majority Project was designed to help hand the House leadership reins to members who understand the value of conserving our natural heritage for future generations. We were victorious in 14 districts, with one result pending, suggesting that our efforts in several races help Democrats to carry the day."
All incumbents on the list had a zero or near-zero voting record in the Action Fund’s 2006 Wildlife Conservation Report Card, and all voted to support the extremist anti-conservation agenda of Rep. Richard Pombo, chair of the House Resources Committee and the Action Fund’s highest priority for defeat. The annual report card measures the commitment of U.S. Senators and Representatives to wildlife and habitat conservation during each congressional session. It reviews votes on key conservation issues, providing a clear assessment of how well members of Congress are doing to protect wildlife, national parks, refuges, forests and other remaining wild lands for future generations. Past and present report cards are available at www.defendersactionfund.org/report.html.
| Target District | Win or Lost |
| Rick Renzi (AZ-1) | Lost |
| J.D. Hayworth (AZ-5) | Won |
| OPEN Seat (AZ-8) | Won |
| John Doolittle (CA-4) | Lost |
| Richard Pombo (CA-11) | Won |
| Marilyn Musgrave (CO-4) | Lost |
| Ric Keller (FL-8) | Lost |
| OPEN Seat (FL-13) | Won |
| OPEN (IL-6) | Lost |
| hris Chocla (IN-2) | Won |
| John Hostettler (IN-8) | Won |
| Mike Sodrel (IN-9) | Won |
| Anne Northup (KY-3) | Won |
| Gil Gutknecht (MN-1) | Won |
| Charles Taylor (NC-11) | Won |
| Heather Wilson (NM-1) | Too close to call |
| OPEN (NV-2) | Lost |
| Jon Porter (NV-3) | Lost |
| John Sweeney (NY-20) | Won |
| Randy Kuhl (NY-29) | Lost |
| Steve Chabot (OH-1) | Lost |
| Deborah Pryce (OH-15) | Lost |
| Don Sherwood (PA-10) | Won |
| OPEN (TX-22) | Won |
| Thelma Drake (VA-2) | Lost |
| OPEN (WI-8) | Won |
Click here for more information about the Conservation Majority Project.
