Gore: Climate voters should stick with Dems

Former Vice President Al Gore is urging Americans concerned about climate change and considering a third-party presidential candidate to vote for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton instead. 

In an interview with ThinkProgress, Gore said he understands the “feelings and misgivings” of voters turned off by both Clinton and GOP nominee Donald Trump. 

{mosads}But he said voters who want to tackle climate change should vote for the former secretary of State, not Green Party candidate Jill Stein or anyone else. 

“I particularly urge anyone who is concerned about the climate crisis, sees it as the kind of priority that I see it as, to look at the sharp contrast between the solar plan that Secretary Clinton has put forward, and her stated commitment to support the Clean Power Plan, and the contrast between what she has said and is proposing with the statements of the Republican nominee, which give me great concern,” Gore told ThinkProgress.

Clinton leads Trump in national polls, but her support dips when voters are asked about candidates like Stein and Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson. 

Gore, who saw his own presidential campaign hindered by the presence of a third-party candidate in 2000, said the “harsh reality is that we have two principal choices” for president. 

“I respect those who analyze the situation differently, but in my experience it matters a lot,” he said. 

Gore said he was voting for Clinton in a string of tweets before the Democratic National Convention last month, saying, “given her qualifications and experience — and given the significant challenges facing our nation and the world, including, especially, the global climate crisis, I encourage everyone else to do the same.”

He’s endorsed other candidates, including Patty Judge, the Democrat challenging Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), but he’s yet to hit the campaign trail for Clinton or others.