Kelly Loeffler was a Republican U.S. senator from Georgia defeated in a 2021 special election run-off by Rev. Raphael Warnock (D-GA). In early 2020, Governor Brian Kemp appointed Loeffler to fill a vacancy left after Senator Johnny Isakson’s early retirement. Loeffler was previously the CEO of the financial services firm Bakkt and is the current co-owner of Georgia’s WNBA team the Atlanta Dream. As a senator, Loeffler serves on the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs; and the Joint Economic Committee.
On Climate Change
In March 2020 Senate hearings, Loeffler and other Republicans implied that Democrats were using environmental reforms to obstruct covid relief. According to E&E News, Loeffler stated that “[House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi [D-Calif.] and [Senate Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer [D-N.Y.] are putting solar panels ahead of people.” Loeffler has also come out against the Green New Deal. In a column for Savannah News, the senator cited the report as an attack “on the unparalleled liberty that we as Americans enjoy today.”
Rumors that Loeffler is a moderate Republican were sparked by prior small contributions to Democratic campaigns and her lack of support for Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Furthermore, according to E&E news, Loeffler was a top executive at Intercontinental Exchange Inc. when the corporation lobbied for a failed cap and trade bill in 2009. However, after her appointment at the beginning of 2020, Loeffler emphasized her conservative values and worked to align herself with President Trump.
See also: Don Young, Mike Rounds, Steve Daines, Richard Burr, David Perdue
Climate of Denial