Activists concede that the final push may have to come from circumstances beyond their control, for example from a Republican whose state starts feeling the brunt of climate change. But even that’s far from a foolproof strategy, given the years of hurricanes that have devastated red states in the South without swaying political leaders’ minds.
The activists stress, however, that this is a long-term strategy. They’re thinking in terms of years, not months.
Some greens have a wish list for the kind of Republican they’d want to see joining their team — someone like Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie or former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. But several liberals said the transformative figure they’re looking for may not be on anybody’s radar yet.
“I think it’ll be a surprise,” one key official on the lookout for green-minded Republicans said. “I think it’ll be one of the names we’re not talking about.”
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