Poll: Swing-state voters back climate action

A majority of voters in swing states prefer a candidate that wants to take action on climate change and curb carbon pollution, according to a new poll.

The poll, conducted by Hart Research for three national green groups, found that 54 percent of the eligible voters surveyed across five swing states are more likely to vote for a candidate that wants to fight climate change.

{mosads}Additionally, 68 percent of the 1,505 likely voters questioned across the states favor a candidate that wants to expand clean energy like solar and wind.

The poll, which surveyed voters via landline or cellphone in Colorado, New Hampshire, Michigan, Iowa and North Carolina, found 41 percent are less likely to vote for a Republican based on the candidate’s positions on energy, climate change and the environment.

When asking which issue they had heard about the most from candidates, however, a majority of voters ranked the president’s healthcare law as the top.

Climate change came in at the bottom, with 17 percent having heard a lot from candidates on the issue.

The poll was conducted for the League of Conservation Voters, the Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund and NextGen Climate.

All three environmental groups have funneled a record amount of money into the midterms, targeting climate skeptics and pushing climate change as a wedge issue in the five states polled.

Critical Senate races, which will determine control of the upper chamber, are raging in all five state involved in the survey.