NJ Republican gets green endorsement

Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.) Friday became the first Republican House candidate to get an endorsement from the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund (LCV) for the 2014 midterm elections.

The LCV said LoBiondo has a strong record of protecting New Jersey’s environment and supports measures to fight climate change and protect natural resources.

{mosads}“Congressman Frank LoBiondo has been there time and again on the most pressing environmental issues facing New Jersey and our country,” LCV President Gene Karpinski said in a statement.

“We need more allies in the Republican Party like Congressman LoBiondo who understand that a healthy environment and a strong economy aren’t in conflict — they go hand in hand.”

The group said LoBiondo has been a champion of southern New Jersey’s wildlife refuges and has fought against offshore drilling and seismic testing off the state’s coast.

He has bucked the GOP by voting for the 2009 cap-and-trade bill and voting against a measure to block the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to cut carbon pollution from power plants, LCV said.

“Working together for many years to preserve New Jersey’s environmental treasures for future generations, I’m once again honored to receive [LCV’s] endorsement,” LoBiondo said in a statement.

LoBiondo is apparently leading Democrat Bill Hughes, with a 6 percentage point lead according to the Vineland Daily Journal.

Out of 38 endorsements, the only other Republican the green group has backed was Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine.), with a July announcement.