Voters in swing states say they are more likely to re-elect Senators who support the Clean Energy Jobs Bill, according to a new poll.
The poll, conducted by the political consulting agency Benenson Strategy Group, interviewed 814 registered voters in 16 swing states.
60 percent of respondents said they were much more likely to re-elect a Senator who supported the energy bill that passed the House in June 2009. Conversely, 52 percent said they would be less likely to vote for Senators who vote against the bill.
Politico examined the poll results and the supporting arguments that were most appealing to voters:
Respondents were best persuaded by an America-first national security argument - the notion that "over-reliance on oil from hostile nations hurts economy, helps enemies, and puts security at risk."
Also effective in selling the bill was portraying the opposition as villains -- special interests like "big oil" who are making the country less secure by opposing energy reform.
Two proponents of the bill, Executive Director of Detroit NAACP Heaster Wheeler and Michigan Environmental Council President Chris Kolb wrote an opinion piece Tuesday in The Detroit Free Press about the bill's benefits to low-income populations:
It would help curtail pollution from fossil fuels that contribute to tragically high rates of childhood asthma, heart disease and respiratory failure in our core city neighborhoods. African Americans are three times more likely to be hospitalized from asthma, and 70% live in counties that violate pollution standards.
Read more about the Senate bill and its prospects at Politico.