US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, (co-author of the Green New Deal) has labeled presidential candidate Jay Inslee’s climate plans the “Gold Standard”. It appears that there is good data to support that view. Almost every one of the components of the Green New Deal are addressed in Jay Inslee’s climate plans, and his plans continue to emerge.

Data for Progress devised a rubric to score each candidates’ published plans (rather than legislative history or public statements). Those debate-qualified candidates whose climate plans are as yet unpublished (and will be evaluated after they are) include: Cory Booker, Julian Castro, Bill de Blasio, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, and Eric Swalwell.

To determine the thoroughness of each candidate’s climate platform in addressing the features of the Green New Deal and allow for some basis for comparison, Data For Progress created a Candidate Climate Plan Summary for the debate-eligible Democratic candidates’ climate policy proposals to date. Using a rubric of 48 essential Green New Deal components, we identify where each candidate 1) addressed a component with a proposed federal policy or action, 2) acknowledged a component but lacked clear policy details, or 3) did not include a component.

The Data for Progress Climate Plan Assessment for Governor Jay Inslee’s published plans was the only one among the published plans of the seven candidates that was scored as VERY THOROUGH--the top rating. Of the 48 essential components of the Green New Deal, Inlee’s plans addressed 42 of them and acknowledged 2 more. They listed the following plans as those they considered. (Inslee had also published his immigration plan (America’s Promise) and has since published his education plan (Ready for the Future) both of which are part of his comprehensive vision for America utilizing our climate crisis as an organizing principle.)

100% Clean Energy for American Plan

Evergreen Economy Plan

Plan for Global Climate Mobilization

Freedom from Fossil Fuels

Call to Action for a Climate Conservation Corps

Scores for all seven candidates with published plans

Jay Inslee 42 addressed — 2 acknowledged

Joe Biden 25 addressed — 8 acknowledged

Elizabeth Warren 22 addressed — 8 acknowledged

Beto O’Rourke 20 addressed — 12 acknowledged

Michael Bennet 19 addressed — 7 acknowledged

John Hickenlooper 14 addressed — 5 acknowledged

John Delaney 7 addressed — 5 acknowledged

Rubric of essential New Green Deal components to score candidate’s climate plans. (Data for Progress)

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