On July 4, 2025, catastrophic flooding swept through the Texas Hill Country, killing 137 people, including 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic. Families who sent their children to summer camp would never see them alive again. The floods caused an estimated $22 billion in damage and economic losses.

Now, Texans face two US Senate candidates with dramatically different records on climate change.

Republican Ken Paxton earns just 21.25% on Vote Climate U.S. PAC's 2026 National Climate Change Voter's Guide. As Texas attorney general, Paxton repeatedly challenged climate regulations, fought efforts to make fossil fuel polluters pay for climate damages, and opposed federal fees on methane emissions.

The question this November is whether we will continue electing politicians who compound the climate crisis or choose leaders prepared to confront it.

His Democratic opponent, James Talarico, earns 71.25%. Talarico acknowledges climate change and supports investments in renewable energy and emerging technologies. However, he has moderated his climate positions, defended Texas's fossil fuel industry, and has no clear position on requiring carbon polluters to pay for their emissions.

Neither candidate earns a perfect score. But the difference is substantial—50 points.

North Carolina: $59.6 Billion in Devastation

On September 27, 2024, Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina, killing at least 107 people and damaging or destroying more than 73,000 homes. The storm caused an estimated $59.6 billion in statewide damage, economic losses, and recovery needs.

In this year's US Senate race, former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper earns a 92.5% Climate Calculation, compared with just 28.75% for Republican Michael Whatley.

Cooper has made climate action a governing priority, advocating climate resilience, opposing offshore drilling, and protecting North Carolina's air and water.

Whatley criticized President Joe Biden's decision to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement and cancel the Keystone XL pipeline, accusing the administration of siding with "climate alarmists." He has not clearly acknowledged the scientific consensus that climate change is human caused.

Michigan: Tornadoes and a Stark Political Divide

On May 7, 2024, a tornado packing 135-mile-per-hour winds tore through Portage, Michigan, causing approximately $50 million in damage. It was part of a multistate outbreak producing more than 165 tornadoes, killing three people, and causing approximately $6.6 billion in damage.

Democrat Abdul El-Sayed earns a 92.5% Climate Calculation, while Republican Mike Rogers receives just 21.25%.

El-Sayed calls climate change an immediate crisis and advocates a pathway to 100% renewable energy through investments in solar, wind, battery storage, and modernization of the electric grid.

Rogers has not clearly acknowledged the scientific consensus on human-caused climate change. He has attacked Democratic energy policies and voted for a congressional measure declaring that a carbon tax would harm the US economy.

Georgia: Hurricane Helene's Deadly Toll

When Hurricane Helene struck Georgia in September 2024, it killed 37 people and caused an estimated $6.46 billion in agricultural and forestry losses alone.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate........

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