The battle for political power in the US is heating up. The two main parties are in this autumn鈥檚 midterm election, which will decide who controls Congress. There鈥檚 nothing unusual in that.
But November鈥檚 vote does offer something the US electorate hasn鈥檛 really seen before: a dedicated push to get candidates with science backgrounds on the ballot.
The motivation for this lies in the well-documented anti-science attitudes in political circles of recent years. President Trump . Then, he appointed pro-fossil fuel industry figures like and to top positions that deal directly with the likes of climate science and pollution. At the same time, he , and even scientists at key agencies, many of whom have spent their careers in public service.
Advertisement
Those appointments were followed by budget proposals that and, of course, the disappointing the Paris Agreement.
Supporting scientists
It鈥檚 not all about the Trump administration 鈥� anti-science legislating predates his election. It includes the in 2015 by the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and attempts by past administrations to . And, to touch upon an all too timely subject, the 1996 National Rifle Association-supported ban on .
For those enraged by such treatment of science and scientists, help is at hand. I started the organisation in 2016 to recruit, train and support scientists running for office, and we have been laying the groundwork to bring evidence-based policy to the halls of power ever since.
I founded this in part because I know how hard it is to be a candidate with a STEM background 鈥� I was one myself. I鈥檓 a chemist by training, and when I ran for Congress in 2014, I realised that if you aren鈥檛 a lawyer or a career politician, it can be hard to break into politics.
Take, for example, the simple barrier of entry for scientists who are in the middle of their careers. Unlike lawyers, who are often encouraged by their firms to run, taking a year off to campaign can spell the end of a scientist鈥檚 career. Our organisation acts as a support system and siren call for a community that has long shied away from politics.
No alternative facts
The response has been promising. An ditched lab coats for suits and launched campaigns. When state-level and local elections are added to those pitching for roles in Washington DC, hundreds took up the challenge. While I neither expect nor desire every seat of Congress to be held by persons with STEM backgrounds, 2018 is a great opportunity to bolster the scientific community鈥檚 paltry representation there. Currently, there is one physicist (Representative Bill Foster) in Congress. There are more than 200 lawyers. There are even more talk radio hosts in Congress than there are physicists and chemists.
The time for signing polite letters and waiting to be tapped for an advisory role is over. 快猫短视频s need to get involved in electoral politics. Voters want governance based in facts and evidence, and who better to lead that charge than those who have spent their careers in a role where there is no room for 鈥渁lternative facts鈥�?
Election day is looming. Our endorsed candidates, most of whom have never run for political office before, face a brutal election in which the anti-science special interests will be out in force. Those of us who support science should be encouraged that our candidates will be well-funded and well-trained thanks to the efforts of our organisation and a newly motivated pro-science resistance.
But we need more help. I hope you鈥檒l join us in bringing science, facts and reason back to Washington.
Read more: Wellbeing will suffer if we don鈥檛 trump the anti-science trend
