We Are Climate Hawks
We believe climate change is a fundamental threat to the lives and livelihood of every human and future generations here in the United States and across the globe.
We believe that bold action by public officials — at all levels of government — is essential to addressing the threat posed by climate change. Â Too many Democratic politicians consider climate to be just another issue bubbling below the surface of top priorities, and too many advocates are willing to excuse Democratic politicians who tout their statesâ coal and oil resources. We need aggressive, progressive champions of climate justiceâclimate hawks.
Our Vision: Â Our nation, state, and local governments put in place bold, progressive actions to combat climate change, led by a diverse legion of individual climate hawk leaders who share our beliefs.
Our Mission: Â To identify, train, and elect individual climate hawk leaders, while generating a political environment in which those leaders have the power to advance policies needed to address climate change.
Staff
RL Miller is the Political Director of Climate Hawks Vote and President of Climate Hawks Vote Political Action. Â RL is the elected chair of California Democratic Partyâs environmental caucus and posts way too much as @RL_Miller on X/twitter and Bluesky. Â Past work has included exposing the politics of climate denial, opposing fracking for oil in California, and training others to advocate for legislation. RL earned high honors in political science at UCSD for writing a thesis on coal exports, and a law degree from UC Davis. Outside interests include keeping chickens and sleeping.
Drew Hudson has been Climate hawks’ digital director since 2022. He’s been helping progrssive candidates and environmental groups use online tools to campaign and win since the early aughts. He’s a veteran of MoveOn, TrueMajority, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and dozens of other labor, environmental and do-gooder groups. He’s a graduate of NYU and Greencorps. He can be found on Bluesky and elsewhere at WeAlsoHerdCats but he prefers hiking in the Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont where he lives.
Selected Media Coverage:
- Kamala Harris leaves an opening for a California climate champion Politico California, July 31 2025
- Villaraigosa, despite climate credentials, pivots toward oil industry in run for governor LA Times May 26, 2025
- California Democrat looks to advance Green New Deal, E&E news November 12, 2024
- Conservative Climate Caucus chair in danger of losing race E&E News, October 25, 2024
- Greens fume over fossil fuel presence at DNC, E&E News, August 21, 2024
- Kamala Harris on Climate and the Environment, Living on Earth, August 23, 2024
- Raquel TeraÌn vs. Yassamin Ansari: Which congressional candidate is more progressive? AZ Central, July 27, 2024
- Incendiary, divisive, disruptive: 5 questions for RL Miller, Politico, June 28, 2024
- Should California Democrats take oil and gas money? The party is torn, Los Angeles Times, October 2021
- Has California given up its climate ambitions?, CalMatters, April 2021
- Climate Policy That Ignores Class Doesnât Work, Mother Jones, December 2018
- Democrats go all-in on clean energy, Politico, October 2018Â
- 7 Democrats who might use climate to run for president, E&E News, August 2018Â
- House vote to denounce carbon taxes puts climate caucusâ futility on display, ThinkProgress, July 2018
- Clean energy coalition delivers 38,000 signatures supporting 100% clean energy to California legislature, Solar Power World, July 2018Â
- Kevin de LeĂłn Wants to Lead a New Democratic Party, The Nation, June 2018Â
- Senator exposes the hypocrisy of âso-called climate caucusâ members, ThinkProgress, March 2018Â
- These Republican Climate Hawks Get Low Environmental Marks, Bloomberg, February 2018Â
- Kara Eastman picks up first national endorsement, Omaha World-Herald, December 2017
- Joe Bartonâs troubles create a public relations dream for the Democratsâ PR candidate, McClatchy, November 2017
- Green group endorses Democratic challenger to Feinstein, The Hill, November 2017
- Trump nominee named in Russia scandal withdraws his nomination for top USDA science post, ThinkProgress, November 2017
- Here’s why progressives aren’t thrilled with Gov. Brown’s cap-and-trade plan, Los Angeles Times, July 2017
- Partisan scorecard condemns baby steps by Republicans, E&E News, June 2017
- Congress’ ‘climate peacocks’ more about talk than action, ThinkProgress, June 2017
- Trump win heats up climate change reversal efforts on both sides, Midland Reporter-Telegram, December 2016
- Dakota Access Protest ‘Felt Like Low-Grade War,’ Says Medic Treating Injuries, Inside Climate News, November 2016
- California Democratic Party shuns donations from ‘big oil’ â for now, Los Angeles Times, November 2016
- Climate hawks unite! Meet the newest members of Congress who will fight climate change, Grist, November 2016
- Election investment payoff poles apart for Faison, Steyer, E&E News, November 2016
- Poll: Voters Disapprove of U.S. Rep Lamar Smithâs Climate Science âBullyingâ, Texas Observer, October 2016
- Leaked Clinton emails reveal thorny politics of climate action, Christian Science Monitor, October 2016
- Trump, Clinton polar opposites on climate change, so why no debate?, MPR, October 2016
- The âClimate Change Electionâ That Never Came, The New Republic, October 2016
- Heitkamp Caught Between Constituencies in Pipeline Fight, Bloomberg BNA, September 2016
- Groups Slam Republican AGs Big Oil Collusion to Protect ExxonMobil, Common Dreams, September 2016
- Environmentalists split over Jay Faison and his push for âconservative clean energy,â Grist, August 2016
- Climate could be pivotal in this congressional race between two California Democrats, Grist, August 2016
- Why Environmentalists Aren’t Sold on Tim Kaine, Mother Jones, July 2016
- Oil and gas industry events ‘polluting’ Democratic convention, say activists, Guardian, July 2016
- At the DNC, Fossil Fuel Lobbyists Shack Up With the Fourth Estate, In These Times, July 2016
- Why thousands of climate change activists are demanding more from the DNC, Circa, July 2016
- Democrats adopt climate change science investigation in platform, The Hill, June 2016
- Now Clinton and Sanders Are Fighting Over the Democratic Platform, Mother Jones, June 2016
- Exxon, Chevron wonât budge on climate â so what happens next? Climate Change News, May 2016
- CLIMATE: A scrappy group whose scorecard isn’t for the fainthearted, E&E Publishing, March 2016
- Climate hawks endorse Bernie by yuge margin, Grist, March 2016
- Climate Super PAC Wants You To Choose Which Candidate It Will Back, Huffington Post, March 2016
- Harris aims to be green ‘champion’ — just like Boxer, E&E Publishing, February 2016
- Maryland Attorney General Suggests His Office May Investigate Exxon, Too, Inside Climate, February 2016
- Will Republicans seek to undermine Paris agreement? Scientific American, January 2016
- Exxon probe gets another proponent: The Los Angeles Democratic Party, Inside Climate, January 2016
- Climate hawks to Department of Justice: It’s time to prosecute Exxon, Good, November 2015
- California Attorney General urged to investigate Exxon over climate, Inside Climate, November 2015
- 350,000 sign petition asking for federal probe of Exxon, Inside Climate, November 2015
- Political activist stumps for environment, The Acorn, November 2015
- Climate peacock Kelly Ayotte doesn’t deserve our support, Red Green & Blue, October 2015
- House Democrats press DOJ to investigate if Exxon broke the law with a climate change cover-up, Huffington Post, October 2015
- The holes in Hillary’s climate plan, Politico, July 2015
- Hillary Clinton climate plan draws praise, skepticism from environmentalists, CBS News, July 2015
- Prospective Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders scores high in new climate hawk ranking, Huffington Post, April 2015
- Climate Hawks Vote swoops onto the election scene, Earth Island Journal, November 2014
- How a superPAC on a shoestring is taking on Congress’ climate apathy, Inside Climate, August 2014
- Group tries to make climate change a winning wedge issue, Huffington Post, July 2014
- Now climate hawks have their own super PAC, Grist, June 2014
- Hatching our SuperPAC, The Hill, August 2013