Braley holds narrow lead in green group’s Iowa Senate poll

Rep. Bruce Braley (D) holds a narrow lead over his Republican opponent for Iowa’s Senate seat in a poll released Friday by the League of Conservation Voters (LCV).

Braley has the support of 48 percent of likely voters, compared with 47 percent for state Sen. Joni Ernst, in the survey conducted for the green group by Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling earlier this week.

{mosads}It is the first LCV poll to show Braley ahead since May, though his edge is within the 4-percentage-point margin of error.

The group, which has endorsed Braley in his Senate bid, touted the poll Friday, noting that the Democrat had strong leads on environmental issues.

“It’s clear that Braley’s picking up momentum as Election Day nears,” Daniel J. Weiss, LCV’s senior vice president for campaigns, told reporters.

Only 29 percent backed Ernst’s proposal to eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency, with 54 percent disagreeing.

Ernst wants states to have the responsibility to enforce environmental protections, such as those to protect air and water, a position Weiss said she has made “a cornerstone of her campaign.”

“Her plan to abolish the EPA and threaten our air and water may work for her polluter allies, but it’s not going to work for Iowa,” Weiss said.

Braley and Ernst are running to replace retiring Sen. Tom Harkin (D). Republicans believe they can take the seat, but Weiss identified it as a crucial to maintaining an “environmental firewall” in the Senate to protect the EPA.

Former EPA chief Carol Browner, now chairwoman of the LCV’s board of directors, spoke to reporters to highlight the environmental issues in the race.

“It is deeply disturbing that Ms. Ernst does not understand how important it is to have a federal environmental agency, how important the work of EPA is to the citizens of every state, including the citizens of Iowa,” Browner said.

“Her calling for the elimination of these agencies would jeopardize all of the progress that we’ve made on clean air and clean water,” she said.

Browner was EPA chief throughout the Clinton administration and the longest serving EPA head in history. She also served as President Obama’s “climate czar” from 2009-2011.