The national League of Conservation Voters endorsed both Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton and Republican Rep. Rick Lazio yesterday in the New York Senate race. The LCV said Clinton has pledged to fight for the environment, promising among other things to push for ratification of the Kyoto climate change treaty. The LCV praised Lazio for being one of a handful of Republicans who publicly fought efforts to roll back environmental protections during the Contract with America era in the mid-1990s. The group endorsed Lazio in his 1998 House race. He received a 69 percent rating from the group for his voting record last year. Meanwhile, the New York League of Conservation Voters, which is independent from the national LCV, yesterday endorsed only Clinton in the race, saying she had demonstrated more potential for leadership on the environment. Dan McLagan, a Lazio spokesperson, said, “This was a test of whether a Republican with a phenomenal environmental record could get a fair shake against a Democrat with no record at all. The answer, apparently, is sort of.”
